Bihar: Owaisi demands proportionate power for Muslims, calls out ‘jungle raj’ under Lalu & Nitish

Asaduddin Owaisi

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi took on union home minister Amit Shah over national security, sought fair representation for Muslims, and criticised the slow pace of development in Bihar.

In an exclusive conversation with CNN-News18, the AIMIM president questioned Shah’s repeated accusations of infiltration. “I have one simple question—who is the Home Minister of India? It’s not you or me. It’s the Home Minister. How, then, is infiltration happening under his watch?" he asked.

Owaisi noted that Nitish Kumar’s party is part of the government, and the central paramilitary forces come under Amit Shah’s ministry.

Taking a swipe at the Centre, he said the only “official infiltrator” is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “sister” Sheikh Hasina -- who, he claimed, is warmly received even as relations between the India and Bangladesh decline. “If infiltration is happening, then who is responsible?” he asked.

Owaisi also raised suspicion over PM Modi’s commitment to Bihar, questioning, “What has he done for the people of Bihar and the Seemanchal region?”

“The Prime Minister’s heart still lies in Ahmedabad," he said.

Owaisi further spotlighted how floods erode vast tracts of land annually in areas like Kishanganj, accusing the government of offering “election-season announcements” like direct transfers to women instead of executing robust flood-control measures such as embankments. He warned that such populist steps might soon become “unaffordable,” referencing Maharashtra’s experience as a cautionary tale.

He also said that Muslims, forming 17 per cent of Bihar’s population, have a rightful claim to proportional power-sharing and praised Mukesh Sahani for asserting similar demands for his 3% community. Sahani, who heads the Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP), has been named as the deputy CM nominee from the Mahagathbandhan.

“Are they (Muslims) only meant to vote and then stay silent?" he questioned.

Pointing to the current condition of Bihar, Owaisi said the state “resembles regions of Africa that are still recovering from conflict.”

Citing the exodus of young workers, the plight of struggling households, and the lack of MNREGA payments and flood aid, Owaisi painted a grim picture of Bihar’s governance.

He said the state had endured two eras of “Jungle Raj” -- one under Lalu Prasad Yadav and the other is “what we see today under the current regime.”

He accused the BJP of “poaching MLAs” across states, labelling it “sheer hypocrisy,” and asserted that the electorate, “far more aware than the ruling class thinks,” would ensure his party’s success.