Lucknow: In a significant boost for the Congress party ahead of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, senior All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader and chief spokesperson Syed Asim Waqar resigned from his party and switched allegiance to the grand old party on Wednesday.
When asked about the reason behind jumping ship, he blamed it on an “understanding” between the Asaduddin Owaisi-led outfit and the ruling BJP.
Waqar joined the Congress at the party headquarters in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Congress in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam, state Congress president Ajay Rai, and Congress Minority Department chairman and Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi.
Congress leaders welcomed Waqar into the party and said that this was inspired by pan-India campaigns led by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on issues concerning education, employment, students, women and deprived sections of society.
Rajendra Pal Gautam said that Waqar is an “articulate speaker” and his ideas were aligned with Congress and Rahul’s vision for the country.
Expressing confidence about the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, state Congress chief Ajay Rai said the party’s flag would fly in every village and street across the state.
Imran Pratapgarhi said that Congress was being strengthened with new members joining Rahul Gandhi’s “Mohabbat Ki Dukaan” campaign and claimed that several more prominent faces would join the party in the coming days.
Waqar, after joining the Congress party, stated that AIMIM, despite claiming to oppose the BJP, was working on the ground in a manner that harmed parties which were directly taking on the BJP.
He also recalled that a similar political arrangement had been witnessed in West Bengal and referred to former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Humayun Kabir, pointing out that Kabir had formed a party and spoken of building the Babri Masjid to help the BJP.
Waqar further noted that Kabir had admitted during a sting operation to receiving Rs 1,100 crore from the BJP.
He also said those committed to establishing a secular and public-oriented government in the country should join the Congress, asserting that it was the only party fighting the BJP directly on the ground.
(IANS)
