The decision of Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen to contest merely nine seats in the home State of Telangana has set off a war of words with AIMIM and the Congress accusing each other of having quiet understanding with the RSS. The Telangana Assembly, which has 130 seats, goes to polls on November 30 with Mr. Owaisi’s party contesting less than 7 per cent seats.
The State Congress president Revanth Reddy, alluding to a tacit understanding between AIMIM and the BJP, accused Mr. Owaisi of wearing “khaki knickers under his sherwani”.
The allegation gained currency on social media with fellow party leader Srinivas writing on X (formerly Twitter), “When he can put 95 candidates in UP, why in his home State of Telangana, MIM has only 9 candidates with 7 of them in Hyderabad? Why doesn’t Owaisi declare an MIM candidate from the seat where his party HQ is? Because it has Raja Singh as MLA? Why doesn’t Owaisi declare a MIM candidate from the seat where his house is? Even a child in Telangana knows that BRS, BJP and MIM are in alliance with their only goal being to defeat a rejuvenated Congress.”
