'Bihar's secular alliance is incompetent'

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi, whose decision to foray into the Seemanchal region of Bihar in the state assembly polls is giving anxious moments to the JD(U)-RJD-Congress alliance over fears of split in minority votes, has trashed accusations of being propped up by the BJP.

Calling the anti-BJP secular alliance "incompetent and discredited", he said it failed to usher in "development and justice" in the four backward northeastern districts of 'Seemanchal' during its constituents' long stint in power. "...Now they are incompetent and they are discredited. And that's why all these allegations are being made against me," the Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad said reacting to insinuations by some leaders of the secular alliance that AIMIM has decided to enter the fray at BJP's bidding to split the minority votes.

"Similar allegations were made against Kanshi Ram when he floated the BSP. I don't mind it. They are honouring me by making all these allegations," he said.

"They (the three-party alliance) have not done justice or development and their track record clearly shows that the real prosperity or justice has not been done. We have decided to limit ourselves only to Seemanchal area and that too we are yet to take a decision on how many seats of 24 (in the region) we are going to contest," Owaisi said.

In constituencies where the AIMIM is not contesting, the party has requested the people of Bihar to defeat BJP and to vote for any secular candidate or secular combination, he said.

"Despite that, they are fully drunk in arrogance and they don't want AIMIM to participate," Owaisi told PTI in an interview, attacking the "Mahagathbandhan" (grand alliance) of JD(U), RJD and Congress.

AIMIM's stand, he said, is very clear that it wants to contest on the plank of development and justice for Seemanchal region and "wherever we are not there (not contesting) in Seemanchal or anywhere in Bihar, we request the people of Bihar to vote for secular candidate or secular combination".

The Seemanchal region comprising Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia and Araria districts on the state's border with West Bengal has sizeable population of Muslims, who have been voting for Lalu Prasad's RJD after they shifted their allegiance from Congress in the aftermath of the Bhagalpur riots.

After Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's open criticism of Gujarat riots and Narendra Modi, a section of Muslims has also been voting for JD(U). Contesting together, the secular alliance should have been comfortably placed in the region, but AIMIM's presence in the fray might queer the pitch for them.