96-yr-old AIMIM contests elections sans manifesto

Hyderabad: All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is a one-of-its-kind political party with a standing of around 96 years. Its uniqueness is that it is the only political party in Telangana that has been fighting elections without an election manifesto or spelling out what it has done or will do to make its voters hold it accountable and yet it has been winning its seats.

In this party, all decisions are taken by Sadar Sahab, Assad Uddin Owaisi. His words are the only manifesto. It has been of late making attempts to expand its footprint in other states too but has not been able to make much of progress.

AIMIM wants to come out of its cocoon in Hyderabad and other parts of the state. It is contemplating to contest in few more Assembly constituencies like Rajendranagar, Musheerabad, and Jubilee Hills in the city.

Hans India tried to check on what the people have to say on this experiment of AIMIM. Ch Lakshminarayna from Musheerabad said that he has one complaint against this party. They talk about Constitution, secularism, Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb etc. But they do not speak even a word of Telugu in state Assembly. This may be ok in the old city areas but in other parts if they want to represent, it may not go well with the voters. Voters want their aspirations to be conveyed in Telugu effectively in the Assembly. They point out that in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh Assembly, Muslim leaders speak chaste Telugu.

Countering this Mohammad Rafique from Chikkadapally says AIMIM does not represent only Urdu speaking or Muslims in the city. It represents everyone. He said, "In the districts, many Urdu-speaking Muslims speak Telugu. Similarly, many Telugu-speaking non-Muslims speak fluent Urdu, as well as Hindi.

Mostly, they are bilingual and multi-lingual and it has been the composite culture of the state for a long. It is a bit different in the Old City. But with the younger generation progressing in different fields of education have recognised the need to learn and speak Telugu."

An undergraduate L Pratima from Rajendranagar feels that AIMIM stood third in the last Assembly elections in this constituency and has been improving its vote share since 2009. Hence it wants to test the waters again. But one thing is certain. Winning chances are less unless they are fully supported by BRS, she opines. AIMIM she said isolates people in the name of community and language and does not care about others. This may work in old city but not in other constituencies, she adds.