Bihar:4 out of 5 AIMIM MLAs defect to RJD, big blow to Owaisi

In Bihar, four of the five legislators of All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) joined Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Wednesday. “The AIMIM MLAs have merged with our party. We are now the largest party in the state assembly,” Tejashwi Yadav told reporters after the four AIMIM legislators joined the RJD and raised its effective strength to 80. The four MLAs - Syed Rukuuddin Ahmed from Baisi, Shahnawaj from Jokihat, Mohammed Anjar Nayami from Bahadurganj and Mohammed IzaharAshwi from Kochadhaman assembly constituency - said, we have taken the decision in the interest of development of Seemanchal. 

The BJP and HAM(S), both constituents of the ruling NDA, also slammed RJD’s manoeuvre. “The four MLAs of AIMIM have joined hands with a dynastic party known for appeasement politics,” said Nikhil Anand, Bihar BJP’s spokesperson. HAM(S) state spokesperson Danish Rizwan said it exposed RJD’s double standards. “On one hand, the RJD condemns the split in Shiv Sena while on the other hand, it is creating a split in AIMIM. It shows how it has double standards,” said Rizwan. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 77 legislators in the 243-seat assembly and its alliance partner, Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) has 45 and Jiten Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) has 4. Wednesday’s switch does not impact the ruling coalition’s numbers.

In 2020, Owaisi’s party teamed up with smaller Bihar parties that were part of the Grand Secular Democratic Front (GSDF), a third alternative to the NDA and the Opposition’s Grand Alliance. Bihar AIMIM president Akhtarul Iman, the party’s fifth and only legislator in the assembly. has accused that the RJD has not only betrayed the faith and belief of minorities but also proved that it does not want a strong party to emerge in the state that talks about fighting for Muslims, minorities and scheduled castes.