India should have weak PM for weaker sections to benefit: Owaisi

“We should now make efforts towards getting a weak prime minister..so that he can help the weak. The powerful (PM ) is helping only the powerful, he is is not looking at the weak,” said Owaisi.

He also said that he wished for a “khichdi government” – referring to a rainbow coalition. The AIMIM chief also attacked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), claiming that it was no different from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat as it kept mum on the release of convicts in the Bilkis Bano case.

The AIMIM will field candidates in the Gujarat Assembly polls which are likely to be held in December, he said.

On “revdi” (freebie) politics debate, he said, “What you call revdi is being offered by all. The PM waives corporate tax and loans of industrialists. AAP is no different from the BJP. Both keep saying the same things. AAP does not say a word on Bilkis Bano.” Asked about Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar being projected by some as the opposition’s PM candidate for 2024, Owaisi said the BJP would benefit if the opposition tried to compete with Modi by projecting faces.

“Instead, all of us need to compete with the BJP on all the Lok Sabha seats together,” he said.

He said that although his party quit the UPA government in 2012, “you have to admit that the GDP growth rate was 8-9 per cent during its time, which is now down to 3-4 per cent. If you ask the BJP they will say it was because of Covid, the Ukraine war, but the GDP was down even before that,” said Owaisi.

Hitting out at Nitish Kumar, the AIMIM chief said the Bihar chief minister was an ally of the BJP when the 2002 Gujarat riots took place, he formed governments with the saffron party, and now he has joined hands with someone else.

Most political parties are vying to become bigger flag-bearers of the Hindutva ideology while putting aside the issues of inflation, unemployment, education and health, he said.

Owaisi who met Bohra community leaders in Ahmedabad, said he will hold another public meeting in Gujarat on September 18 with his leaders from Maharashtra.