Why can’t Bihar have Muslim CM, asks Owaisi

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday (October 28, 2025) launched his party’s election campaign for the Bihar assembly elections and questioned why the eastern state cannot have a Muslim CM despite the minority community constituting 17 per cent of the state’s population.

The Hyderabad MP criticized the ruling NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc for allegedly giving an “unfair deal” to the Muslim community.

Mr. Owaisi, whose party is contesting 32 assembly seats in the poll-bound state, launched his election campaign from Gopalganj, where he addressed a rally in a village 20 km from the district headquarters.

“Why can’t a Muslim who represents 17 percent of the state’s population become the Prime Minister? After all, they see no harm in promising the post of deputy CM to a person who represents only three percent of the population.”

This insinuation was directed at the INDIA bloc, which had nominated RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as the chief ministerial candidate and promised the deputy CM post to Nishad leader Mukesh Sahni, who heads the Vikassheel Insan Party.

Mr. Owaisi said, “Parties like Congress, RJD and Samajwadi Party are seeking Muslim votes by taking advantage of the minority community’s fear of the BJP. These parties have not been able to stop the BJP but are still trying to get the votes of Muslims on the same excuse.”

“It is time to call the bluff of these parties, who have failed to even provide proportionate representation to Muslims in ticket distribution. The Muslim community must now look at building its own leadership,” the AIMIM chief said. he said.

Pointing a gun at the ruling BJP at the Centre, Mr Owaisi said: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi claims that he has taken care of everything and is working for the progress of everyone. But his party is not giving a ticket to even a single Muslim in the elections.”

He also accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of blowing the whistle against the minority community by constantly referring to ‘infiltrators’ (ghuspaithiye) in his election speeches.

“Amit Shah should tell us how many infiltrators were detected during the massive SIR. He should also tell us how infiltration continued unabated despite his ministry’s BSF being deployed along the country’s borders.

“Of course, Amit Shah will refrain from answering these questions. But if the Muslims of Bihar want these issues to be raised strongly in the state assembly, I urge them to vote for the kite symbol allocated to AIMIM,” Mr. Owaisi added.

The Hyderabad MP also touched on the controversy over Union Minister Giriraj Singh’s repeated use of the term ‘namak haram’ (traitors) for the Muslim community, whom he accused of not voting for the BJP-led coalition despite benefiting from welfare measures introduced by the NDA government.

“A lot is being said about Rs 6,000 being paid to farmers under the Kisan Nidhi Yojana. This is public money, not the ancestral wealth of those in power. Moreover, corruption is rampant. Unless the authorities concerned make cuts, people cannot avail the benefits to which they are entitled,” said the lawyer-turned-politician.

Mr Owaisi also alleged that leaders like Mr Modi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Tejashwi Yadav’s father, were distorting priorities.

“Modi’s heart lies in Ahmedabad. Nitish’s heart lies in Rajgir (his home district of Nalanda), Lalu’s heart lies in his son. There is no one whose heart beats for the common people,” the AIMIM chief lamented.