AIMPLB Has Nothing to Do With Politics, Says Owaisi

Hyderabad: Asaduddin Owaisi, the president of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), denied receiving a letter from the board about the Uttar Pradesh elections on Monday, saying the board has nothing to do with politics.

AIMPLB has not written a letter to the Hyderabad MP, he told reporters. He stated that the Board's constitution clearly states that it is not involved in politics.

"The board has nothing to do with politics and it is not their position," Owaisi, who is also a member of the Indian Muslims' apex body, added.

Moulana Sajjad Naomani, a member of the AIMPLB working committee, wrote Owaisi a letter last week requesting him to limit vote-splitting against communal forces in the Uttar Pradesh elections.

The prominent cleric asked the AIMIM leader to only run candidates in seats where a win is a foregone conclusion.

Owaisi, on the other hand, did not respond to Sajjad Naomani's letter.

In response to another question, Owaisi stated that he will have to deal with the accusation of dividing so-called secular votes for the rest of his life. "I want to ask those who are making this allegation. Why did the BJP win in Uttar Pradesh in 2014, 2017 and 2019? The truth is that the so-called secular parties failed to defeat the BJP. In 2019, MIM contested only three Lok Sabha seats, how BJP won 306 seats," he explained.

"They are frustrated. They have no ideological and intellectual strength to defeat BJP and that is why they are blaming MIM," he continued.

According to Owaisi, his party is preparing to run for 100 seats in the UP elections, as planned by its state unit. The party released its first slate of nine candidates on Sunday. He stated that for the second and following phases, there would be more listings.

"Only time will tell. As of now we are completely geared up and prepared to contest the polls," Owaisi said when asked about the possibility of an alliance with other parties.

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AIMIM is prepared to run in the elections, according to the Lok Sabha member, by following the Election Commission of India's Covid rules. "Since meetings are not allowed, we will organise virtual meetings. We will use modern technology tools as per the Election Commission guidelines. We will increase social and digital media presence," he stated.

The AIMIM leader hoped that the 60 meetings he held in Uttar Pradesh over the last 4–5 months would have an impact and benefit the party.

In response to a question about the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) requesting that the Uttar Pradesh government investigate Darul Uloom Deoband's website for allegedly publishing "unlawful and misleading" fatwas, Owaisi stated that the NCPCR should be aware that a fatwa is merely a legal opinion with no legal weight.

"Fatwa is an opinion given by the Ulema, or religious scholars. Despite knowing this, if they (NCPCR) are indulging in this behaviour, they may have a vested interest in this," he noted.