Meerut (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 14 (ANI): AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday launched a sharp attack on Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP), invoking the 1987 Hashimpura and Maliana massacres and the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots to question their record on issues concerning Muslims, while defending his alliance with Chandrashekhar Azad ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Addressing a public meeting in Meerut, Owaisi asked voters not to forget the incidents under previous governments and questioned Congress over its criticism of the AIMIM's political choices.
"On May 22, 1987, in this very Meerut, 42 Muslims were massacred in Gang Nahar in Hashimpura. The government was Congress. Ask your grandfather. Ask your elders what happened in Hashimpura," he said.
Referring to the Maliana massacre, he added, "In 1987, on the 22nd and 23rd, in just one day, 42 Muslims were massacred in Hashimpura, and the next day, 72 were massacred in Maliana. Congress party people, do you forget the dates, or do you think I don't remember? I remember every single thing, and I will remember."
The AIMIM chief also targeted the SP over the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, alleging that the then state government failed to adequately help those displaced by the violence.
"When he was Chief Minister, the Muzaffarnagar massacre happened in 2013. 50,000 people were driven out of their homes," Owaisi said, questioning the SP's response despite having 47 Muslim MLAs at the time.
He also referred to allegations of sexual violence during the riots and said that eight women had approached the court.
Recalling his visit to relief camps in Muzaffarnagar, Owaisi named Shahnawaz, who he said had accompanied him and could testify to the assistance provided to people living in difficult conditions.
"People were suffering from the cold in those camps. They had nothing but the sky above their heads and a thin piece of cloth," he said, adding that Shahnawaz and his friends had also helped arrange marriages for some girls living in the camps.
Owaisi alleged that the SP government later demolished the relief camps and questioned the party's response to the displaced families.
He also criticised SP chief Akhilesh Yadav over his remarks that Dalits and Muslims should vote for whichever party could defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Questioning the SP's electoral record, Owaisi asked whether the party had been able to defeat the BJP in the 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2022 elections.
The AIMIM chief also defended the decision to make Chandrashekhar Azad the alliance's Chief Ministerial face, citing his stand in support of people who wanted to offer namaz in Nagina.
Owaisi said Azad had stood with those seeking to offer prayers and challenged the SP to demonstrate similar support. He also questioned whether Akhilesh Yadav had visited places where mosques and madrasas had allegedly been demolished.
"Chandrashekhar Azad is standing and offering namaz, and Akhilesh is going to the place where we prayed for 400 years," he said.
Owaisi further referred to the political representation of Dalits and Muslims, taking a dig at the SP's PDA slogan.
"I want to tell you that Akhilesh Yadav talks about PDA. You guys say PDA, right? This is what PDA actually means - ‘Palat Diya Akhilesh'...what are they going to do with PDA now?"
He also questioned the party over its political choices in the Rajya Sabha, alleging that Akhilesh Yadav had supported a candidate whose family had links with the BJP.
Turning to local issues in Meerut, Owaisi questioned the BJP-led government's claims of development and raised concerns over road accidents in the region. Citing figures he said were released in September 2026, he claimed that 310 people had died and 875 had been injured in accidents.
He also referred to funds allocated for road works and questioned why the number of deaths remained high despite the expenditure.
Owaisi raised the demand for a High Court bench in western Uttar Pradesh, arguing that people had to travel around 600 kilometres to reach Prayagraj. He questioned why the state government had not established a bench in the region.
On local civic issues, he criticised the alleged lack of development in Meerut and raised questions over the functioning of the maternity home in the area, claiming that stray dogs were being brought there for injections.
The AIMIM chief also addressed criticism from political opponents, saying that his party would continue to speak on issues it considered important.
Recently, Owaisi and Azad announced the formation of the Samajik Parivartan Morcha ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The alliance has named Azad as its Chief Ministerial candidate and announced that it would contest all 403 Assembly constituencies together. (ANI)
"Palat Diya Akhilesh": Owaisi turns Samajwadi Party’s PDA slogan into a jibe in Meerut
