Owaisi arrives in Lucknow, works on alliances

Lucknow, Dec 16 (IANS) All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi arrived in Lucknow on Wednesday and started the process of stitching up alliances with other small parties for the next Assembly elections in 2022.Owaisi held a meeting with former state minister Om Prakash Rajbhar, who heads the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP).He said he would be meeting other leaders of political parties during his visit.Talking to reporters, Owaisi said, "When two political leaders meet, you can guess what the topic of talks will be. I am meeting Om Prakash Rajbhar and will later be meeting Shivpal Yadav who heads the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia (PSPL). Shivpal is a big name in UP."Asked about the AIMIM victory in Bihar, Owaisi said the leaders like Om Prakash Rajbhar and others had helped him win seats in Bihar.About Uttar Pradesh, he said that he would make more visits in January and things would begin to formalize later. "We have just started on this journey," he said.Replying to a question on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's allegation that he had been paid by the BJP to cut into minority votes, Owaisi said, "Time will reveal the truth behind such allegations. Mamata Banerjee has been a part of the NDA and all I can say that there is no person born on this earth who can buy Owaisi."Reacting to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's suggestion to change the name of Hyderabad to Bhagyanagar, Owaisi said, "I will not change any name in Uttar Pradesh."
--IANS amita/dpb