Act Now or Don’t Call Us Later: AIMIM to RJD
AIMIM's Akhtarul Iman urges Lalu Yadav to avoid splitting minority votes; warns delay could be a "missed opportunity."
GG News Bureau
Patna, 3rd July: As Bihar gears up for its upcoming assembly elections later this year, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has expressed its willingness to join the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) to consolidate minority votes and present a united secular front, according to sources.
Bihar AIMIM president and MLA Akhtarul Iman has written a letter to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, requesting the inclusion of AIMIM into the alliance. In the letter, Iman argued that contesting the election together would prevent the scattering of “secular votes” and significantly improve the alliance’s chances of forming the next government.
“We have spoken to the RJD, Congress, and other Grand Alliance parties. A proposal has been sent. We have told them to decide soon,” Iman said. In a pointed message, he warned that a delayed response would be a missed political opportunity for the RJD. “If they don’t [act now], they should not say they want us after the election,” he said, stressing AIMIM’s intent to join forces before the contest begins.
AIMIM’s appeal comes at a time when the Seemanchal region — comprising Muslim-majority districts like Kishanganj (67%), Katihar (38%), Araria (32%), and Purnea (30%) — is emerging as a key battleground for minority votes. Analysts believe that a united front could be crucial for the Mahagathbandhan to counter the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in these regions.
Meanwhile, Tejashwi Yadav, the face of the RJD, stirred controversy during the recent Waqf Bachao–Samvidhan Bachao rally at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, where he pledged to “throw the Waqf Act into the dustbin” if voted to power. The statement drew sharp criticism from NDA leaders, including Union Minister Giriraj Singh and BJP state president Vijay Sinha, who accused the RJD of indulging in vote bank politics.
Santosh Suman, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) president and Bihar’s Minor Water Resources Minister, alleged that the RJD-Congress alliance was using the Waqf issue to polarise voters in Seemanchal. “Tejashwi’s outburst on the Waqf Amendment Act was not about protecting properties but appeasement politics,” said Suman at a rally. “Congress and RJD are trying to communalise the atmosphere and scare the majority community for electoral gains.”
As political temperatures rise, AIMIM’s outreach to the Grand Alliance and the sharp rhetoric around minority issues are likely to shape the narrative in the coming weeks, especially in regions with high Muslim populations.
