Tamil Nadu's principal Opposition party DMK has withdrawn an invitation extended to AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi for a party event this week following protests from allies, especially home-grown Muslim parties, and outrage on social media.
DMK minority wing chief D Mastan flew to Hyderabad along with Vakeel Ahmed, President of Tamil Nadu unit of AIMIM, on Friday and extended the invitation to Owaisi to participate in a conference to be addressed by party chief M K Stalin in Chennai on January 6.
After the news of DMK inviting Owaisi broke, there was outrage on social media over the party's decision. DMK's allies, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), and Manidhaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) resented the decision and conveyed their unhappiness to the party's leadership.
Within hours, Mastan backtracked and said only alliance partners were invited for the meeting and termed as “false” news about “other parties” being invited for the conference. Sources in DMK said the party withdrew the invitation to Owaisi after opposition from allies.
A senior MP, who actually fixed the appointment for Mastan, called up Owaisi over phone and “explained to him the situation”, the sources said, adding that the Hyderabad MP and AIMIM President is upset over the development. A senior AIMIM leader told DH that neither Owaisi nor any representative from the party will attend the DMK meeting in Chennai.
Senior leaders in the DMK and allies said the invitation to Owaisi was “unnecessary” and an “avoidable event” especially when he is being blamed for the Opposition's defeat in the Bihar assembly elections. IUML and MMK feel Owaisi's presence in the state would give “one more handle” to the BJP to attack the DMK-led alliance and “polarise” the elections on communal lines.
“We did tell DMK leaders that Owaisi has no role or influence in Tamil Nadu. Muslim political parties in Tamil Nadu have been working along with the Dravidian parties on several issues like social justice. We are glad that DMK withdrew the invitation after listening to our views. We just hope DMK does not engage him in future too,” a senior leader of one of the Muslim parties said.
DMK's decision to reach out to AIMIM came amid the latter's efforts to put up candidates in 20 to 25 constituencies in the April-May assembly elections. With the invitation from DMK, AIMIM was hopeful that it would be able to join the alliance led by the Dravidian party in Tamil Nadu. However, the hope was short-lived.
“We are firm on contesting the 2021 elections in Tamil Nadu. We have identified 25 constituencies already. Whether we will fight as part of an alliance or on our own will be decided only before elections,” the MIM leader said. AIMIM had contested two constituencies in the 2016 assembly elections and had scored a total of around 11,000 votes.