Exclusive | Lok Sabha elections 2024: No talk of development but rifts to gain votes, says Imtiyaz Jaleel

Imtiyaz Jaleel says voters trust him because of the work he has done. Pic/Nimesh Dave

I would like to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where is ‘nal and jal' (drinking water). The so-called secular parties don't have even a single Muslim candidate in the state. The BJP and Congress are the same... they are just using voters," Imtiyaz Jaleel, MP and Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) candidate in the Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency, said while speaking with mid-day.

Excerpts...

You have been an MP for 5 years and before that an MLA, but still your party hasn't grown...
We are trying to grow the party... trying to reach the grassroots. But the mentality of voters is to support Congress and NCP. They think if they want to defeat BJP, they need to support Congress and NCP. That causes a little difficulty. But our efforts are on.

In 2019 you won because of the vote division between the Shiv Sena and the independent candidate...
No not at all! My winning margin has reduced due to the independent candidate. The votes that the independent candidate got were anti-Shiv Sena votes. If there was no independent candidate, I would have got those votes. My winning margin was reduced due to the vote division.

What have you done for the constituency?
I have worked to increase air connectivity to Aurangabad, which will help increase tourism as well as business. The expansion of the airport is underway. I have a plan to start a flight service which will connect metro cities across India. Also, I have a plan to start a flight to Jedda, which prove useful for visiting Makkaah. We have also worked on road development. We will start a sports university, which will give us the opportunity to sportsmen of Marathwada and are working on developing IT industries in Aurangabad.

But industrialists here are being threatened with ransom calls...
I have met industrialists and assured them that strict action would be taken against the culprits. I have even discussed the matter with police authorities at the city and district level and asked them to maintain law and order in the region.

What about accusations that you are the BJP's B team?
We are contesting just a few constituencies, how does it make sense? In my view, the Congress always used the minority by instilling fear of the BJP. Tell me why there isn't a single Muslim candidate from the so-called secular party. There are leaders of the minority asking people not to vote for me. Minority workers in their party should question the leaders... are they only there for ground-level work? Don't they want to be MPs or MLAs? Both the BJP and Congress are the same... both gain votes by instilling fear in people. Our party registered with the Election Commission, so by law, we can contest the election.

What about PM Modi's vision for development?
If the prime minister came to Aurangabad I would ask him where is nal and jal? Aurangabad is facing a water crisis. The BJP had also assured houses for every family. Does every family have a house? They ONLY make false promises to the voters.

There is a serious water issue in the city and the district...
Yes, there is a major issue. Drinking water and roads are major issues in the constituency. The elections were never fought taking development into account, instead, they were fought on religious grounds. But now the situation is changing. Voters trust in the work I have done.

Will the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi not being with you this time have an impact?
During the election, new parties are coming together, while some parties are moving away. All major parties in the state have a split. Voters have faith in the work I have done for the constituency. I'm getting support from all communities.

What about Chandrakant Khaire seeking the support of Muslims?
He has never thought about Muslim voters, but now he started thinking about them as they need their votes.

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No of years Imtiyaz Jaleel has been MP