Nod for Owaisi’s Vijayapura rally delayed, partymen to move HC again

BENGALURU: The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) which is keen on contesting the Karnataka assembly elections, is now in the midst of a legal battle against denial of permission to its national president Asaduddin Owaisi, to hold a poll rally on January 21 in Vijayapura.
While the district administration cited law and order issues to deny permission, MIM leaders last week moved the Kalaburagi bench of the Karnataka High Court, which directed the deputy commissioner of Vijayapura to “…consider the application”.
DC K B Shivakumar reportedly told an MIM delegation that he would take some more time to decide on their application. The leaders said they are left with no option but to approach the court with a fresh application.
“The district administration is not outright rejecting permission but is delaying as they want to upstage our programme,” said Osman Ghani, Karnataka state president of MIM.
“We are seeking opinions of various departments, based on which we will take a call. There is no timeframe as such to take the decision,” DC Shivakumar told TOI.
The MIM is planning to field its candidates in about 60 assembly constituencies spread over Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Bidar, Raichur, Koppal and Belagavi districts. The party wants to go to polls with the slogan ‘Jai Bhim, Jai Meem’ to attract the votes of Dalits and minorities, and is expected to contest from at least five seats in Bengaluru.
“Our national president’s presence will definitely give a boost to our party. But even without his rally, MIM will fight the elections,” said Ghani.
This is not the first time Owaisi is being denied permission. When the party contested in 29 wards in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike polls in 2015, he was denied permission to campaign in the city. Vijayapura police had banned an Owaisi rally in June 2016.
“As a political party, the MIM has democratic rights to contest elections. Not allowing the party chief to campaign is not just undemocratic, but also shows the Congress is as intolerant as the BJP,” said Syed Amin Jafri, senior MIM leader and member of the Telangana Legislative Council.
Justifying the Vijayapura district administration’s call regarding Owaisi’s rally, home minister Ramalinga Reddy said, “It is up to the SP and DC of the district to take a decision on these issues. The government does not want to interfere.”