Jolt to Owaisi: Key aide Syed Asim Waqar joins Congress, says AIMIM was ‘helping BJP’

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) national spokesperson Syed Asim Waqar joined the Congress Wednesday. He claimed that AIMIM, under Asaduddin Owaisi, only pays “lip service” to removing the BJP, but in reality it is fighting against those who seek to bring down the ruling party.

Waqar, who was considered to be close to Owaisi, joined the Congress in the presence of All India Congress Committee (AICC)'s Uttar Pradesh in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam, UP Congress president Ajay Rai and AICC minority department chairman Imran Pratapgarhi at the party office on Akbar Road in New Delhi.

According to Congress insiders, Waqar’s joining is significant as the party looks to expand its outreach among Muslims in Uttar Pradesh, which goes to the polls early next year. Speaking at a briefing, Waqar said, "On the ground, we don’t fight the BJP; we fight the Congress, the Samajwadi Party (SP); we are fighting every other person who wants to remove the BJP." “So, I felt that if we keep fighting the Opposition and don’t allow it to expand, then we are helping the BJP.

I have decided that if we are true nationalists and want to remove the BJP honestly, then our objective should be to fight the BJP. If we are fighting the enemies of the BJP, then we are friends of the BJP,” he said. “In reality, if someone is fighting the BJP across the country, it is the Congress, Rahul Gandhi and his people," said Waqar.

His departure comes at a time when the AIMIM aims to strengthen its presence in Uttar Pradesh, targeting to win several seats in districts with significant Muslim populations. Gautam said that under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, a movement is underway across the country on issues concerning education, employment, students, women, and marginalised sections.

“Rahul Gandhi is firmly raising the voice of every section and continuously cautioning the government on every front. Inspired by this, senior leaders from various parties are joining the Congress and strengthening the hands of Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi,” said Gautam.

Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express.

During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state.

During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute.

Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University.

He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More