All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MP Imtiaz Jaleel has caused a flutter in Maharashtra politics by stating that his party can form an alliance with the Shiv Sena-led ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition to prevent the BJP from coming to power.
The Sena on Saturday rejected Jaleel's offer to turn the 'three-wheeled auto rickshaw' of MVA into a 'comfortable car', raking up the Asaduddin Owaisi-led party's stand on issues such as renaming of the Aurangabad city and singing of Vande Mataram.
The Nationalist Congress Party and Congress, the other two partners in the MVA, said the AIMIM must prove that it was a 'like-minded' party and not the 'Bharatiya Janata Party's B-team'.
Jaleel on Friday said the AIMIM was willing to have a tie-up with Congress and NCP.
He spoke about this when NCP leader and state minister Rajesh Tope visited his residence on Friday to condole the death of his mother, Jaleel said.
"It is always alleged that BJP wins because of us," Jaleel said, referring to the allegation that the party splits Muslim votes which benefits the BJP.
"To prove this allegation wrong, I proposed to Tope that we are ready for an alliance," he added.
On Saturday, the AIMIM MP reiterated his offer.
"There is no power left in them (Shiv Sena) to defeat the BJP single-handed. That's why they need the support of Congress and NCP. I propose that let's add another wheel to the (three-wheeled) autorickshaw and make it a comfortable car. We have expelled the corporator who had opposed the singing of 'Vande Mataram' (in the Aurangabad municipal corporation) and he has joined the NCP now," Jaleel, who heads the Maharashtra unit of AIMIM, told a Marathi news channel.
Local Shiv Sena leader Ambadas Danve, however, said there was no question of allying with a party which opposes 'Vande Mataram' and 'runs on the thinking of Razakars' (the paramilitary volunteer force deployed by the Nizam of Hyderabad to resist the princely state's integration with India during 1947-48).
Reacting to it, Jaleel said, "Neither Danve nor I was born during the time of Razakars. (Shiv Sena MP) Sanjay Raut says we bow before the grave of (Mughal emperor) Aurangzeb. We are in a new era and Aurangzeb is part of history. No Muslim bows in front of any grave. He (Aurangzeb) might be acceptable to you or not, but the fact is he had ruled the country. When I asked a specific question, they diverted the discussion to Aurangzeb, Razakars."
In UP, the AIMIM had proposed alliance to the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party but 'they wanted votes of Muslims and not Asaduddin Owaisi', Jaleel said.
Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut too had rejected Jaleel's suggestion, saying those who 'bow before the grave of Aurangzeb' cannot become acceptable to Maharashtra.
"The AIMIM has a secret alliance with the BJP which was proved in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal elections. AIMIM is a 'B' team of the BJP and will remain so. The MVA is a three-party alliance and there is no room for a fourth partner," Raut told reporters.
Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe said the Owaisi-led party must prove that it is politically opposed to the BJP. Even common people consider AIMIM to a 'B' team of BJP, he added.
BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis took a dig at the Sena, his former ally, while reacting to Jaleel's statement.
"Will Sena and AIMIM come together? This cannot be ruled out. The Sena has started 'Azaan' competition and saying Janab Balasaheb Thackeray, so their coming together cannot be ruled out," he said.
AIMIM had won two seats in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections.
State NCP chief Jayant Patil said the AIMIM was responsible for the defeat of several SP candidates in Uttar Pradesh.
"The AIMIM should prove that it can be considered a like-minded party and should give up its provocative language," he said.
Rajesh Tope said his visit to Jaleel's house was only for condoling the death of Jaleel's mother.
"If AIMIM wants to talk about alliance they should talk to our senior leaders. They can talk to Jayant Patil, Ajit Pawar or Sharad Pawar," he added.
Sena leader and former MP Chandrakant Khaire alleged that Devendra Fadnavis was behind the AIMIM's offer to join hands with the MVA.
The BJP wanted the AIMIM to join MVA so that workers of the Shiv Sena, which follows Hindutva, would get angry and it would lead to the fall of the alliance, he said.
