Ahmedabad: With the campaigning for Gujarat Assembly elections 2022 ending on Saturday, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen state chief Sabir Kabliwala said the party was looking to ensure gains from Gujarat, a previously uncharted territory, making clear in the process that AIMIM's main opposition was the ruling BJP and not any other party.
"BJP has been ruling Gujarat for the last 27 years. But this time we are here, and they don't know what to do. They feel the ground shifting beneath their feet, and are desperately clinging to such theatrics now as they know the Adivasi-Dalit-Muslim vote bank is gone" he said.
The state chief, who is set to contest from the Jamalpur Khadiya constituency, also alleged that political parties in the area were using 'addiction' as a tool to push people into opposing AIMIM.
Also read: Gujarat Assembly polls: Campaigning ends for second phase; voting on Dec 5
"Those who recently displayed black flags at our rally were local kids given some money by political adversaries. At a meeting yesterday, we caught a person who was peddling drugs to party supporters. These parties have dedicated teams who peddle drugs in order to create unrest among our supporters" he said, seemingly referring both to the ruling BJP as well as Congress, currently the main opposition in the state.
Inquired about accusations about AIMIM being termed BJP's 'B team', Kabliwala trashed any such assertions. "Congress is not even in the picture. Imran Khedawala, the sitting MLA from Jamalpur Khadiya, was a councilor-level person and rose in his rank due to our support. But, he has betrayed the people" he added.
Kabliwala stated that if AIMIM came to power in the State, the party's initial priorities would be solving issues of unemployment, education, and drinking water. "We have put up a solid fight during campaigning in Saurashtra, Kutch, and several other places. The results cannot be predicted right now, but I appeal to people to come out in large numbers and vote for us" he added.
