Hyderabad, Oct. 23: Congress leader Mohammed Sameer Waliullah on Thursday accused AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi of promoting a Muslim leadership formula in Uttar Pradesh that he had allegedly failed to implement across Telangana.
Sameer, the Congress in-charge for the Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency and former DCC president, questioned Owaisi’s recent appeals for Muslims to develop independent political leaders instead of relying on established political families and parties.
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He asked how many independent Muslim leaders AIMIM had developed beyond its traditional strongholds during decades of political influence in Telangana.
Sameer said Muslims needed greater representation in legislatures, governments, municipal bodies and political organisations. However, he questioned whether AIMIM had expanded that representation or concentrated its influence in a limited number of constituencies.
Sameer Waliullah Challenges Owaisi on Muslim Leadership
Referring to the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections, Sameer pointed out that AIMIM contested nine of the state’s 119 constituencies. He questioned why the party had not fielded candidates in more constituencies if it wanted to promote Muslim leadership across Telangana.
He also criticised AIMIM’s support for the Bharat Rashtra Samithi in constituencies where it did not contest, describing it as inconsistent with Owaisi’s calls for independent Muslim political leadership.
Sameer alleged that Owaisi emphasised Muslim empowerment while expanding AIMIM into states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and West Bengal, but had not made comparable efforts to develop leadership across Telangana.
He argued that Hyderabad should serve as an example of AIMIM’s political model, given the party’s longstanding parliamentary presence and municipal influence. He claimed that political influence remained concentrated while many ordinary Muslims continued to face challenges involving education, employment, housing, healthcare and economic opportunities.
Sameer also said Muslim leadership should extend beyond community boundaries and attract support from people across different religions and social groups. He described broader public representation as an important measure of political leadership.
The Congress leader defended his party’s record of providing Muslims opportunities in constitutional, political and administrative positions. He acknowledged that Congress needed to create more opportunities for Muslim youth and women but rejected Owaisi’s alleged portrayal of Muslims as mere followers under Congress-led politics.
Sameer challenged AIMIM to disclose how many new Muslim leaders, women and young political workers it had developed across Telangana over the past two decades. He also questioned the party’s approach to electoral contests in states where opposition votes could split among multiple parties.
He said AIMIM had the democratic right to contest elections but that voters could also question the political consequences of its decisions.
Sameer further referred to Owaisi’s declared assets, which he said had increased from around Rs. 39 lakh in 2004 to more than Rs. 23 crore in 2024. He said voters were entitled to assess whether improvements in their own living conditions had kept pace with their representatives’ progress.
He urged Owaisi to develop 50 to 100 young Muslim leaders across Telangana over the next five years, provide greater opportunities to women and first-generation political workers, and expand the party beyond its established constituencies.
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Sameer concluded that Owaisi’s calls for independent Muslim leadership would carry greater credibility if AIMIM demonstrated the same approach in Telangana. His remarks were part of a political criticism of the AIMIM chief and the party’s strategy.
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