‘Where’re you last 5 years’: Asaduddin Owaisi faces backlash in Malegaon

All India Malis e Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President and Hyderabad MP, Asaduddin Owaisi, faced backlash and greeted with black flags when he visited Malegaon to campaign for the party candidate Mufti Ismail Qasmi Saturday November 17, 2024

Sunday November 17, 2024 4:16 PM, ummid.com Staff Reporter

[Asaduddin Owaisi road show in Malegaon on Saturday Nov 17, 2024.]

Malegaon: All India Malis e Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President and Hyderabad MP, Asaduddin Owaisi, faced backlash and greeted with black flags when he visited Malegaon to campaign for the party candidate Mufti Ismail Qasmi Saturday November 17, 2024.

“Where were you in the last five years?” Owaisi was asked while he was conducting a road show in the Textile City.

Asaduddin Owaisi had last visited Malegaon during the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections to campaign for sitting AIMIM MLA Mufti Ismail.

Mufti Ismail was in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) till 2019. He had however joined the AIMIM weeks before the last Maharashtra assembly polls and contest the elections as Owaisi loyalist.

Owaisi while frequenting between Mumbai and Aurangabad to campaign for the AIMIM candidates, made several stopovers – scheduled and unscheduled, to seek votes for Mufti Ismail.

There was a huge anger against Mufti Ismail because of his lackluster and failed first term as MLA and also due to the allegations of large scale corruption against him and some of the AIMIM corporators.

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To allay the anger of the Malegaonians, Asaduddin Owaisi, took guarantee of Mufti Ismail while seeking votes for him.

“I know there is anger against him. But I guarantee you on his behalf…. And, promise to visit Malegaon every two months to make sure Mufti Ismail is working for the constituency”, Owaisi repeatedly said while addressing AIMIM rallies in Malegaon.

Asaduddin Owaisi, was a hero because of his speeches made in the Parliament and rallies against CAA, NRC and triple talaq bills.

People of Malegaon believed him and voted Mufti Ismail to victory.

Asaduddin Owaisi however did not turn up after the AIMIM victory in Malegaon while Mufti Ismail was allegedly busy “working for own good-self”.

The Malegaonians were also angry because of the reports that Mufti Ismail and Faruk Shah – AIMIM MLAs in Malegaon and Dhule, had voted for the BJP candidates in the Rajya Sabha elections.

“Owaisi spews venom against Modi, Amit Shah and BJP in his speeches. But, his party MLAs voted for the BJP. Why? In return of money?” Sohail Ansari, a local leader who was with the AIMIM but quit the party, asked while talking to ummid.com.

The AIMIM has so far maintained silence on its MLAs alleged support to the BJP.

The anger against AIMIM hence peaked when Asaduddin Owaisi visited the city Saturday after five long years. Angry people waved black flags and reminded him the promises he had made in 2019.

“Remember you had promised to visit Malegaon every two months. Where were you in the last five years?” angry Malegaonians asked Owaisi.

"Have you done any thing good for the city in the last five years?" Owaisi was asked.

"Chal paani ho ja", they said.

"Chal paani ho ja" is slang meaning "get lost from here".

The same question was also asked to other AIMIM leaders and the party MLAs in Telangana who were walking while Owaisi led the roadshow in an open jeep.

“There was Covid 19 you know....”, Jaffar Hussain Meraj, Telangana MLA from Yakutpura Constituency in Old Hyderabad could just say and ran away.

‘No Roadmap, Only Rhetoric’

Later in the evening addressing a public rally, Asaduddin Owaisi again admitted there were lapses from his side and his party MLA.

“Mistakes have indeed been committed”, he said while addressing the rally but did not say what measures he will take to mend the past mistakes.

During his more than 45 minute speech, Asad Owaisi also did not share any roadmap about how his party candidate if wins the 2024 election will address the burning issues the Malegaonians are facing.

Owaisi’s speech in Malegaon Saturday was as usual - full of drama and rhetoric laced with communal overtures against Modi, Amit Shah, Devendra Fadnavis and the BJP.

Worse, Asaduddin Owaisi in his speech raised the issue of drug addictions even as some of the people who are known in the city as “drug peddlers” were sharing the stage with him.

Akbaruddin Owaisi reminded his promises

Akbarduddin Owaisi too was not spared. He was in Malegaon on November 06, 2024. As soon as he landed in the city he faced backlash.

“Where is the school you had promised? Where is the world class hospital you wanted to establish in Malegaon?” the Malegaonians asked.

Akbaruddin Owaisi, during his maiden visit to Malegaon in 2014, had said he will establish a school and world class hospital in Malegaon irrespective of his party candidates winning or losing.

"The MIM candidate from here wins the election or not that is a different matter. I have seen here people dying for sanitation facilities and for proper schooling. I promise to build a school and hospital in the city for the people of Malegaon", Akbaruddin Owaisi had said that while addressing a rally organised to seek votes during municipal elections.

What surprised many is that, Akbaruddin Owaisi, despite facing backlash, again promised to build schools and colleges in Malegaon "the way AIMIM is doing in Hyderabad”.

“Are the Owaisi brothers making fun of the people of Malegaon or consider them a fool?” Sohail Ansari asked.

“They should remember. Time has changed, and mere rhetoric, emotional speeches and empty promises will no longer help them win elections”, he added.

The sitting AIMIM MLA from Malegaon Central Assembly Constituency, Mufti Ismail, is on a sticky wicket facing a multi cornered contest polling for which will be held on Nov 20. The result will be announced on Nov 23, 2024.

There are also a good majority of people who are of the view that voting for the AIMIM candidates will be a waste as they will any way sit in opposition even if they win.

Probably, realizing this fact, Asif Shaikh – former Congress MLA who is contesting the 2024 Maharashtra polls as Independent, has started saying in his rallies that he has already received feelers from the Maha Vikas Alliance (MVA) for support in government formation after the election.

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