Alleging that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) won Muslim votes but did nothing for the community, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday (March 25, 2026) claimed that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s policies helped the BJP grow in West Bengal.
At a press conference in Calcutta, Mr Owaisi claimed that the people of Bengal had been suffocated and his party had joined forces with Humayun Kabir’s AJUP to provide the alternative they were looking for and create an independent political leadership for Muslims.
Council elections LIVE – March 25, 2026
“Nearly 5 thousand OBC certificates were cancelled. Many of them belonged to Muslims. Isn’t that a problem?” he asked.
“Muslims are almost 30% of the population here. What is their representation in government jobs? Only 7%. How many Muslim children are out of school? How many Muslim boys and girls are unable to complete their matriculation,” he asked.
Mr. Owaisi claimed that the token gestures did not translate into actual community development in the state.
“I come to pray on the day of Eid, does it fill my stomach? Does it light the lamp in my house? Does it ensure a good future for my children?” he asked.
The Hyderabad MP claimed that Mamata Banerjee’s policies indirectly helped the BJP expand its footprint in the state.
“When did BJP win three MLAs in Bengal? In 2016, right? Now they have 77 MLAs. Did I make them win? Am I so powerful that I let BJP grow? BJP’s growth is happening before your eyes,” he said.
Mr. Owaisi’s alleged alliance of AIMIM with AJUP is aimed at stopping the exploitation of weaker sections of the state and empowering them.
The merger would also strengthen the political leadership of Muslims in the state, he said.
Mr Kabir, who floated the AJUP after he was suspended from the TMC amid a controversy over its proposal for a Babri-style mosque in Murshidabad district, said the alliance planned to contest 182 seats in the 294-member assembly.
He argued that the alliance could prove to be a decisive factor if the elections yield a fragmented mandate.
“This alliance will never be broken. Whatever decision my elder brother (Owasi) takes and whatever direction he gives, I will follow it in the coming days,” Mr Kabir said.
Mr. Owaisi argued that states where Muslims lack independent political leadership tend to have poor development indicators.
“In my opinion, all the empirical data, whether from the government of West Bengal, the government of India or the NSSO, shows that in states where the Muslim minority does not have independent political leadership, their social, economic and human development indicators are very poor,” he said.
“There is an organic link between independent political leadership and socio-economic development,” he added.
Mr. Owaisi alleged that arsenic-contaminated groundwater has affected Malda and Murshidabad districts despite years of electoral support to the ruling TMC.
“Go to Malda and Murshidabad. Groundwater there contains arsenic levels worse than the parameters set by the World Health Organization. These problems are directly linked to political leadership,” he said.
Mr. Owaisi also rejected the argument that Muslims are adequately represented in the TMC.
“Some people say that there are many Muslims in the TMC. Yes, there are, but that is an anonymous leadership. What we want is a leadership with a voice and a name,” he said, referring to BR Ambedkar.
The AIMIM chief also referred to Banerjee’s earlier political positions.
“When Gujarat was burning, who did they sit with? Who did they sit with?” he asked, referring to the TMC’s past association with the NDA.
He further claimed that he witnessed Banerjee raising the issue of infiltration in Parliament in the mid-2000s.
“There is a video, go and watch it. Between 2004 and 2009, I saw Mamata Banerjee throwing the infiltration file on the vice-chairman’s desk,” he claimed.
Recalling the anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram in 2007, Mr. Owaisi said he had personally visited the area during that time.
“Do you know who took us from the airport to Nandigram? Suvendu (Adhikari). We had to travel on a motorbike and even jump out several times because leftist cadres were throwing bombs,” he claimed.
“When I was so pure and good then, how have I suddenly become bad today,” he asked.
Targeting both the TMC and the BJP, Mr. Owaisi said Muslims in the state felt politically trapped.
“Our situation is like the Urdu saying: ‘phans gayi Razia gundo mein’. We are caught between two sides,” he said.
“People feel suffocated in the current political environment. They don’t have a clear and strong option, and that’s what we’re going to present,” he added.
Elections to the 294-member council are scheduled for April 23 and April 29, counting until May 4.
Published – 25 March 2026 14:36 IST
