Aurangabad: In a stirring address at the Aam Khas ground here Tuesday, AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi urged unity among marginalised communities to combat divisive forces undermining the nation. Speaking after a decade-long absence, Owaisi called on Marathas, backward communities, and Muslims to form an alliance to defend each other’s rights. He expressed AIMIM’s full support for quota activist Manoj Jarange and the demand for Maratha reservation, underscoring the importance of solidarity in the face of targeted attacks on minorities for their cultural practices, which, he said, are weakening the social fabric of India.
Owaisi took aim at alliances between Hindutva followers and secular parties, questioning the ideological coherence of such coalitions. He asked if Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi had instilled secularism within Shiv Sena under Uddhav Thackeray, and similarly questioned Ajit Pawar’s influence on PM Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath. He also urged NCP leader Sharad Pawar to commit to avoiding a post-election alliance with the BJP, while demanding a budget allocation of Rs.50,000 crore for the Marathwada Development Board.
Further, Owaisi lambasted the government for diverting attention from pressing issues like unemployment, economic instability, and agrarian distress, instead stirring public sentiment with matters such as triple talaq and CAA-NRC.
Commenting on the renaming of Aurangabad to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, he asserted that mere name changes would not solve issues like farmer suicides, unemployment, and water crisis.
