Team News Riveting
Chennai, January 1
Fearing to lose the Hindu votes and allies, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) had disowned firebrand Islamic leader Asaduddin Owaisi of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) to attend a meeting organised by the party’s minority wing on January 6 in Chennai.
DMK said that only leaders of alliance parties had been invited despite its minorities welfare wing secretary Dr. D Masthan along with AIMIM’s state president Vakkil Ahamed went to Hyderabad on Friday (January 1) to invite Owaisi for the meeting in Chennai.
The invitation fuelled speculation that the DMK and AIMIM would come together to contest this year’s Assembly election.
DMK’s invite to Owaisi upset many of the grass-root level workers of its coalition parties like IUML and Manithaneya Makkal Katchi. They had reservations against giving room to Owaisi in entering into Tamil Nadu’s electoral politics as the state gears up for the polls.
During the Bihar elections, many Muslim people in Tamil Nadu came down heavily on Owaisi and charged him for the split in the community votes that paved way for the BJP alliance emerging victorious. Many such posts alleged Owaisi as the B team for the BJP.
Basking in its recent electoral success in Bihar, AIMIM has set its sights on Tamil Nadu and plans to contest in the assembly elections this year.
AIMIM is planning to field candidates in at least 25 seats in the assembly elections. The party is also planning to tie-up with actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan’s outfit Makkal Needhi Maiam.
Owaisi is also said to have mooted a proposal to tie-up with DMK led front but he is yet to get any positive response from the alliance.
According to the 2011 census, Muslims constitute 5.86 per cent of the population but latest estimates suggest that it may have risen now to nearly 7 per cent with more than 50 lakh Muslims in the state. Districts like Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur, Krishnagiri, Ramanathapuram, Pudukottai, Trichy, Madurai and Tirunelveli have a substantial number of Muslims in their population.
