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Democrat Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate race, becoming the first Muslim elected to the US Senate. (ET Now Digital)
AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday invoked Democrat Abdul El-Sayed's historic Senate victory in Michigan to make a pitch for independent Muslim political identity in Uttar Pradesh, saying the community must strengthen its own leadership instead of remaining dependent on other parties.
“Abdul has won in Michigan; now the Abdul from Uttar Pradesh will have to strengthen his political identity. The Sanghis have tried very hard to turn ‘Abdul’ into a taunt. The time has come for us to show that Abdul does not bow to anyone but Allah. No more will we lay out the mats,” Owaisi said in a post on X.
The remarks came after El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan's Senate race, becoming the first Muslim elected to the US Senate. Owaisi's reference to the name "Abdul" was aimed at what he described as attempts by the BJP and its leaders to use the term as a political taunt for Muslim men. Referring to El-Sayed's victory, he said Muslims should build leadership from within and seek a greater role in positions of power.
The comment about not "laying out the mats" echoed speeches Owaisi has delivered across Uttar Pradesh in recent weeks, where he has accused established political parties of relying on Muslim votes while failing to create space for Muslim leadership.
Addressing a rally in Tanda in Rampur district on October 18, Owaisi said Muslims should stop looking towards the Nehru-Gandhi and Yadav families for political leadership.
“Muslims should find a leader from within themselves,” he said, adding that the community's problems would continue unless it developed an independent political voice.
Taking aim at political dynasties, Owaisi said: “We will not make any Nehru, Gandhi or Yadav our leader. These young sons and daughters will stand at our forefront.”
He also said there was no shortage of talent among Muslim youth, but many were made to work for other leaders instead of being given opportunities to emerge as leaders themselves. “Abdul will become a leader, an MLA, an MP,” Owaisi said. Much of Owaisi's criticism has been directed at the Samajwadi Party. He has questioned the party's record on Muslim representation despite enjoying substantial support from the community over the years.
Referring to Azamgarh, he questioned why the region had not witnessed the same level of educational and infrastructural development as Saifai, the political stronghold of the Yadav family. He sharpened the attack at a rally in Kairana on October 25, where he said the Samajwadi Party should be renamed the “Samajwadi Yadav Parivar”, saying leadership remained concentrated within a single family.
Sohil Sehran is a journalist with over 12 years of experience covering politics, national affairs and security. He has reported extensively from Jammu and Kashmir and covered elections across several states, bringing on-ground experience to his reporting on some of India’s most consequential political and national stories. Over the course of his career, Sohil has worked across print, broadcast and digital journalism, with stints at Times Now, Brut India and Hindustan Times, among other news organisations. His work has taken him from the field to the newsroom, covering politics, public policy, security and the stories shaping India.
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