Tension erupted in the Sambhal region of Uttar Pradesh after posters of All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) called it the land of “Ghazis”, referring to the Islamic invaders. Bharatiya Janata Party strongly objected to the language used in the posters. After the controversy, the posters were removed by the workers of AIMIM.
The posters were reportedly spotted ahead of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s public rally in Sirsi. Rajesh Singhal, Vice President, UP West Unit, BJP, raised objections on the posters and said Sambhal was never the land of ‘Ghazis’. He said, “This is an election stunt of Owaisi, and we will not allow them to succeed in their intentions. None of the cities in India belonged to the ‘ghazis’, and we will not allow them to become one.”
He further asserted that Sambhal finds its place in the mythology as well. He said, “In the Puranas, Sambhal finds mention in connection with the Kalki incarnation (of Lord Vishnu). If Sambhal is mentioned as the land of the ‘Ghazis’ in the Quoran, then I will quit politics.”
The poster politics of AIMIM
A similar controversy had erupted earlier when a poster of AIMIM had called Ayodhya by its old name Faizabad. At that time, Owaisi was to attend a political rally in Ayodhya. Paramhans Das, Mahant, Tapasvi Chavni had warned AIMIM to remove the posters else they would not allow Owaisi to enter Ayodhya. Iqbal Ansari, who was one of the parties in the Ayodhya Land Dispute, had warned Muslims of Uttar Pradesh not to get lured by Owaisi. He urged Owaisi not to play with the sentiments of the Muslims.
Owaisi targeted SP and BSP for poor performance in Lok Sabha elections
During his rally in Sirsi, Owaisi claimed that the people of UP would not choose Yogi Adityanath for the second term as Chief Minister of the state. Targeting CM Yogi for his ‘Abba Jaan’ remark, AIMIM Chief called himself “the father of the poor and weak, the brother of women.”
Owaisi also targeted Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party and questioned them on their poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections. He said, “In the Lok Sabha elections, we did not field a single candidate, yet we are blamed that they (SP-BSP) got only 15 seats. They should come on a stage and have a one-to-one debate on this.”
AIMIM is planning to contest 100 seats in upcoming Assembly Elections in UP next year in alliance with Om Prakash Rajbhar-led Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha.