People will remember handling of Covid by Yogi govt, says Owaisi

Taking a dig at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his handling of COVID-19 during the second wave in that state, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday said the people of Gorakhpur will remember it and will cast their vote against Yogi Adityanath in the coming Assembly polls in UP.

With the BJP deciding to field Yogi Adityanath from his home turf Gorakhpur (Urban) assembly seat in the February polls, Owaisi told reporters here : "The way the Yogi government went missing during COVID second wave leaving the Uttar Pradesh public on their own...dead bodies were floating in rivers in Uttar Pradesh and also in Gorakhpur...I am hopeful the people of Gorakhpur will remember this and will take a good decision against Yogi Adityanath".

Asked over his party's preparedness for the UP Assembly elections, the All India Majils-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) president and Hyderabad MP said they are completely geared up and ready to fight the polls, adding, they will hold virtual rallies by following Election Commission rules and guidelines.

Owaisi said the way the party has been preparing and he himself having addressed several meetings over the past few months will have a good impact (on AIMIM's prospects).

Reacting to criticism that AIMIM's participation will help the BJP win in Uttar Pradesh, Owaisi said "this accusation will continue to be there on me for my entire life".

He said the question is why BJP won in 2014, 2017 and 2019 in Uttar Pradesh? "No one is answering my question. Because these "secular" parties failed in defeating the BJP," Owaisi said.

"It is due to frustration and foreseeing their defeat such accusations are made. They don't have capacity--ideologically and intellectually to defeat the BJP and hence accusing the AIMIM," Owaisi added.