BJP is in power in Gujarat due to Congress's incapability: Asaduddin Owaisi
Kutch(PTI): All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi has denied that his party's role in the next month's Gujarat Assembly elections would be to eat into the Congress's vote share, and blamed the grand old party for the BJP's long run in power in the state.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to create an "anti-Muslim narrative" during the campaign by raising issues such as the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and Mehrauli murder case, he alleged.
In an interview to PTI, Owaisi, on a campaign tour in Kutch district where his party is contesting two seats, refuted the claim that the AIMIM was a "vote katua" (vote-cutter) party.
"Why is the Congress levelling allegations against us? Is it to hide its own deficiencies? The BJP has been in power in Gujarat for the last 27 years, only Congress was in the opposition. Who had stopped Congress from defeating the BJP, and why had they failed to defeat them for nearly three decades? The Congress must first answer this question," he said.
The Congress has accused both the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the AIMIM as being the "B-teams" of the BJP.
"Let me make this clear, we are not here to eat into anyone's vote share. We are here to fight against the BJP," Owaisi said, pointing out that his party was contesting only 13 out of 182 seats in the Gujarat Assembly.
"Let Congress win 169 seats and form the government. It is because of its incapability and reluctance to take on the BJP that the latter has been in power for 27 years, it is because of them the BJP is winning," the AIMIM chief said.
The Congress has made a compromise with the BJP in Gujarat, he said. Referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's defeat from Amethi Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh in the 2019 general elections, he wondered if it was a "setting" (secret deal).
"If the AIMIM is accused of having a 'setting' with the BJP, then we too can say the same about the Congress. Was the defeat of Rahul Gandhi from Amethi an example of a setting between BJP and Congress? Because he contested from two seats and won from one (Wayanad) but lost in Amethi," he said.
The AIMIM was contesting elections in Gujarat like any other political party, he said. The party is entering the fray for Assembly polls in Gujarat for the first time.
"We initially put up candidates in 14 seats, but one of our candidates joined the Congress. So we are now contesting 13 seats. I am confident and hopeful of getting people's support," the four-time MP from Hyderabad said.
The seats the AIMIM is contesting are Muslim-dominated areas which have been traditionally Congress strongholds. Accusing the BJP of trying to vitiate the atmosphere by creating an "anti-Muslim narrative", Owaisi said the issue of UCC was raised deliberately during the campaign.
"They are raising such issues to create a communal narrative. The BJP is trying to bring in Uniform Civil Code for Muslims, and for Hindus it will be the Hindu Code. They are trying to divide the people," he said.
The BJP leaders also speak about Aaftab Poonawala, who is accused of brutally killing his live-in partner Shraddha Walker in Delhi, during the campaign for the same reason, he alleged.
Crime against women should not be linked to any religion, he added.
"There are many instances of women being at the receiving end of men's cruelty. So, this is an issue of the sick mentality of men and it should be condemned. But connecting this incident to religion is unacceptable. The BJP is doing this deliberately to create more hatred against Muslims," he said.
When asked what would be the AIMIM'S strategy if it wins some seats and there is a hung Assembly, Owaisi refused to answer, saying it was a hypothetical question.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
