Owaisi accuses TMC govt of ‘stepmotherly’ treatment to Murshidabad Muslims

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday accused the West Bengal government of giving “stepmotherly treatment” to Muslims in Murshidabad, alleging neglect in development and employment opportunities.

Addressing a poll rally, Owaisi claimed that development was largely concentrated in and around Kolkata, leaving districts like Murshidabad behind. “All development in West Bengal takes place in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area or nearby regions,” he said.

He pointed to industrial growth in places such as Haldia and Kharagpur, and questioned why a special economic zone (SEZ) had not been set up in Murshidabad, which, he said, could have generated jobs for local youth.

The AIMIM leader also accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of invoking “the fear of BJP” to consolidate votes in the Muslim-majority district.

Owaisi further said that if AIMIM candidate Imran Solanki wins from the Raghunathganj Assembly constituency, he would organise a ‘chakka jam’ (road blockade) in Kolkata to press for industrial development in Murshidabad.

Meanwhile, the alliance between the AIMIM and the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP), led by Humayun Kabir, collapsed on April 10 after a purported video surfaced in which a person resembling Kabir was allegedly heard discussing a multi-crore deal with the BJP to dislodge the ruling All India Trinamool Congress.

Elections to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with counting scheduled for May 4.