After assassination attempt, MIM got strengthened: Asaduddin Owaisi

By Mohammed Shafeeq, IANS,

Hyderabad : The failed assassination attempt on Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi has led to outpouring of public sympathy and thus strengthened the party, says the outfit's chief Asaduddin Owaisi.

As the young leader recovers in a hospital from bullet and stab injuries, the hoardings, banners and posters displayed outside and elsewhere in the city are a proof of the mass following the MIM has, said Asaduddin, a party MP and the victim's elder brother.

Akbaruddin was injured when assailants stabbed and opened fire at him April 30. One attacker was killed and two others critically injured when security guards returned the fire. The incident sparked tensions in parts of the old area of the city that have been MIM strongholds for nearly four decades.

The MP feels the prayers of the people gave a new life to his brother, who is leader of the seven-member MIM legislature party in the Andhra Pradesh assembly.

"People not only condemned the attack but also prayed for his recovery. Allah has answered their prayers and given him a new life. I don't think medical treatment alone could have helped him," Asaduddin told IANS.

He sees the attack as a deep-rooted conspiracy against MIM.

"The attack was not because of a land dispute. It is the first step in this big unholy conspiracy by forces that could not defeat us in a democratic manner. They will be exposed.

"We want the government and police to conduct a comprehensive probe, especially into the conspiracy angle, so that the real culprits behind this are exposed and arrested," he said.

After camping at hospital for a week when Akbaruddin was battling for life, the Hyderabad MP is back at Darussalam, the party headquarters.

Asaduddin is facing the first major crisis after he took over the reins of the party following the death of his father Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi three years ago.

"Such cowardly acts will neither affect MIM's popularity nor hit the morale of its cadre. On the contrary, our belief in the almighty has gone up and it boosts our morale. It has given a new purpose to our life," said the London-educated barrister.

Unlike leaders of other parties, the leaders of MIM always moved without security. Even the attack on Akbaruddin by a group of 12 armed assailants has not shaken Asaduddin.

"I will continue to be amidst people without security. As far as Akbaruddin is concerned, since he faced a serious incident, we can't take a chance. He will take security from the government and we will also take whatever precautionary measures required for him.

"The rest is in the hands of Allah. As long as we are here in this world we will live with courage and confidence, raise the issues of the community and try to find a solution to them," said Asaduddin.

Established in 1928 with the aim of keeping the then Hyderabad State independent, MIM was banned after the state's merger with the Indian union in 1948. However, in 1958 it was revived with a new constitution by Moulana Abdul Wahid Owaisi, grandfather of Asaduddin Owaisi, to champion the cause of Muslims, who constitute 40 percent of the city's population.

The party, however, claims to represent the interests of not just Muslims but all socially and economically backward classes of society. It had made a non-Muslim, Alampalli Pocchaiah, as the city's mayor in the 1980s. It has been fielding many non-Muslims as its candidates in municipal polls.

(Mohammed Shafeeq can be contacted at m.shafeeq@ians.in)