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

Syed Asim Waqar, a key aide to All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi, has joined India's Congress party. Waqar stated that AIMIM was merely "paying lip service" to removing the BJP, but in reality, it was fighting against those seeking to bring down the ruling party. Waqar, who held a close relationship with Owaisi, officially transferred to Congress in the presence of Rajendra Pal Gautam, Ajay Rai, and Imran Pratapgarhi at the party's Akbar Road office in New Delhi.

The Congress is keen on expanding its reach among Muslims in Uttar Pradesh, where elections are upcoming. Waqar explained that the AIMIM had been fighting the Congress, Samajwadi Party, and any other party trying to remove the BJP. He argued that his decision to join Congress was based on the belief that fighting the Opposition, in turn, helps the BJP.

Waqar further asserted that if one aims to remove the BJP honestly, the real enemy is the BJP itself. He claimed that Congress, under Rahul Gandhi, is the primary force opposing the BJP. Waqar's move occurs as AIMIM seeks to strengthen its presence in Uttar Pradesh, where it aims to win several seats in Muslim-majority districts.