Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 13 (ANI): AIMIM chief Asaddudin Owaisi on Sunday asked Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav if he would appoint a Muslim for the post of deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh in case his party wins the state Assembly polls.

Addressing a public rally here in Kanpur, Owaisi said, "Do not care who will be Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. If Samajwadi Party wins the UP polls, will its chief Akhilesh Yadav appoint a Muslim Deputy CM?"

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The AIMIM chief said his party will contest 100 seats in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections. He said AIMIM is open to forming an alliance.

He added, "My Masjid (Babri) was demolished. People who demolished it, disrupted the foundation of India and the rule of law...Did anyone from SP, BSP or Congress say anything? They turned a blind eye as my Masjid was demolished but not theirs."

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Emphasizing Muslims' representation in the government and policymaking, Owaisi said, "Yadavs formed Mulayam Singh and Akhilesh's government. Dalits made Mayawati the chief minister. Thakur and Brahmins have formed the current BJP government in Uttar Pradesh. It will no more be decided by touts that where Muslims will cast their votes. I tell the Muslims of Uttar Pradesh that they do not need to be afraid and if the Muslims of Uttar Pradesh want to move forward, then no one will be able to stop them."

Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh is due for early next year.

In the 2017 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party bagged 312 seats out of the 403-seat Uttar Pradesh Assembly while Samajwadi Party (SP) bagged 47 seats, Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) won 19 and Congress could manage to win only seven seats. The rest of the seats were bagged by other candidates. (ANI)

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