On every occasion, Owaisi claims AIMIM fights for “the rights of Muslims, Dalits, Adivasis, Other Backward Classes, other minorities and all other underprivileged communities in India.”
AIMIM and its president, Asaduddin Owaisi, claim to be fighting for the rights of Muslims, Dalits, Adivasis, OBCs, and other minorities and underprivileged people.
But, a closer look at the party reveals some other stories.
AIMIM has 14 MLAs in different legislative assemblies and, all of them are Muslims. It has two MLCs and, they are Muslims too.
The party has two MPs, Asaduddin Owaisi and Syed Imtiaz Jaleel, both Muslims.
Owaisi is Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad and, Jaleel is Lok Sabha MP from Aurangabad in Maharashtra. Owaisi is representing Hyderabad in the Lok Sabha since 2004.
Owaisi’s party has a presence in ten states including, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and Delhi.
All the state presidents of these ten state units are Muslims. His party has a zero representation of women.
The party has two national spokespersons, Syed Asim Waqar and Waris Pathan, both Muslims. AIMIM’s general secretary, Syed Ahmad Pasha Quadri, is Muslim.
It's difficult to understand why a party that purports to be fighting for Dalits, Adivasis, OBCs, and other minorities does not include these populations in its leadership.
AIMIM was founded in 1927 as MIM to look after the political interests of the Nizam of Hyderabad. It opposed the integration of Hyderabad in India.
The Razakars, the private militia formed by MIM to oppose the integration of Hyderabad, were provided political patronage by the MIM leadership. The MIM was banned in 1948. Its leader Qasim Rizvi was jailed from 1948 to 57 and was released only on the condition that he would move to Pakistan.
Before leaving for Pakistan, Qasim handed over the party to Abdul Wahid Owaisi, and the family has looked after AIMIM ever since.
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