Modi’s personal defeat: Asaduddin Owaisi

All India Majlis-EIttehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday said the BJP-led NDA’s loss in Bihar was a ‘personal defeat’ for Prime Minister Narendra Modi even as he hoped that his party, which made its poll debut in the State, would be in a ‘stronger position’ to do well electorally in the future. “The most important point in this election is that this is a personal defeat for Modi.

Because, never in independent India's history, have we seen a sitting Prime Minister getting so involved and addressing more than 35 public meetings,” he said. Addressing voters in Seemachal Seemanchal region in Bihar, Owaisi, the Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad, also thanked the people for voting for his party candidates and said that AIMIM would further strengthen itself for the next elections five years down the line.

“I thank the people who voted for us and for giving us support. I would like to reassure the people of Seemanchal that we have talked about the development of the region and that will continue,” he said. He added that the AIMIM had made an entry in Bihar and will try to strengthen itself in the State.

“Hopefully, in the next five years, when elections will be held, we will definitely be in a stronger position not only to gain more confidence of people of Seemanchal, but to also ensure that our candidates win,” he said as he thanked its Bihar unit for its work during the elections. Stating that people of Bihar have given decisive mandate against communalism and fascism, he congratulated Nitish Kumar and other partners of Grand Alliance.

“The atmosphere in Bihar was that Modi should be defeated. Muslims and other communities had decided to defeat Modi,” he said. Owaisi hoped that Nitish and the alliance would live up to people’s expectations and work for the development of Bihar, especially the backward region of Seemanchal. Owaisi, whose party contested six seats in Seemanchal, said it would continue to fight for the development of the region and to get justice for the people. While admitting that the MIM could not win the confidence of people, he said perhaps their hard work and the time was not sufficient.

“Many people told me that we should have started (the campaign) early. Others wanted us to continue our work to fight the long battle of Seemanchal,” said Owaisi. The MP said the biggest takeaway for MIM from Bihar elections was that it made a beginning in that State and introduced itself to the people. “The biggest takeaway is that we went there (and) established our organisation. We will continue to go there, overcome our shortcomings and strengthen the party,” he said. He was confident of a better performance in the next Assembly elections