Asaddudin Owaisi's MIM in mind, Congress to raise quota, cow issues

MUMBAI: Ahead of municipal elections in some cities such as Aurangabad in Maharashtra, the Congress party is now planning to reach out to the Muslims in a big way over specific issues such as the ban on cow-slaughter and withdrawal of reservation for the minority community in education & jobs in the state. The Congress thinks that Muslims in Maharashtra are feeling alienated because of some recent decisions of the BJP led state government and its time to garner the minority’s support for gains in the local self government polls.

The newly appointed president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) Ashok Chavan held two meetings with the party leaders in the last eight days, where he emphasised on how the party plans to reach out and communicate in a big way with the minorities in semi-urban pockets it the state. The rapid growth of Asaddudin Owaisi’s Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) party in Maharashtra is a major cause of concern for the Congress party. The perception is that Muslims are tuning away from the Congress and are finding the MIM as a credible option. The Muslims turning away from the Congress, helped the BJP and Shiv Sena immensely in the 2014 assembly polls in the state.