Uttar Pradesh minister Danish Azad Ansari on Sunday took a dig at the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM, saying those who considered Muslims as their vote bank are tensed after the BJP won by-polls in constituencies dominated by the community.
The Minister of State for Minority Welfare said the BJP's "historic" win in the Lok Sabha by-polls to Rampur and Azamagarh in June and the Rampur assembly bypoll recently, clearly indicated that ordinary Muslims "rejected" the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen.
Ansari, the lone Muslim member in the Yogi Adityanath-led council of ministers, said the community had now become aware and started moving on the path of peace.
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"It is unitedly moving towards development, employment, and education. However, the so-called leaders who consider the Muslim community as their vote bank... their worries have increased as they are unable to digest the Muslim community's contribution to the state and the country's progress," he claimed.
Ansari alleged that such leaders wanted the Muslims to "always remain deprived of development and education so that they could remain confined as vote bank".
The minister hailed the BJP governments at the Centre and the state and said they were working with full honesty towards the development of Muslims.
"This is the reason why the community is now voting in favour of the BJP. The party's historic win in the Lok Sabha polls a few months ago and the recently-held assembly bypoll indicates this," he said.
