All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) Chief Asaduddin Owaisi has slammed West Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee over her alleged “double-face” behaviour towards Muslims ahead of the Assembly Elections 2026. 

On Sunday, 6th April 2026, Owaisi criticized the ‘unsatisfactory’ representations of Muslims in the government sector of the state, and drew focus towards the minority’s socio-economic status under the TMC rule.

Notably, the TMC has released its political manifestos in three languages, namely English, Hindi, and Bengali. While the first two are titled ‘Manifesto 2026’ and ‘Ghoshana Patra 2026,’ the latter is titled ‘Ishetehar 2026.’

See also: Owaisi denies Trinamool's allegations of AIMIM getting funding from BJP

Replying to a journalist’s Bihar’s capital Patna about the release of TMC’s manifesto in Urdu, Owaisi remarked, “Mamata Banerjee operates with a dual face. While her party has released its manifesto in Urdu, the representation of Muslims in West Bengal (government sector) remains unsatisfactory. He further claimed that while muslims are almost 29 per cent of the population in West Bengal, but “only seven per cent have government jobs.”

The AIMIM chief, whose party has formed an alliance with suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir’s Aam Janata Unnayan Party in West Bengal, maintained that “Muslims live in abject poverty in regions like Malda and Murshidabad”.

Owaisi alleged that the highest school drop-out rate in West Bengal is among Muslims, and many girls belonging to the community have “low literacy rates”.

“Last year, the Calcutta High Court cancelled five lakh Other Backward Classes (OBC) certificates, about three lakh of which belonged to Muslims,” he claimed.

Shifting his ire towards the centre, Owaisi also critiqued the Centre for reconvening the Budget Session of Parliament, after a brief recess, to pass bills to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 816 so that the women’s reservation law can be implemented at the earliest.

See also: 'Owaisi has two faces': Giriraj Singh attacks AIMIM chief

“The bills to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats should ideally be tabled after April 29 (last day of voting in ongoing assembly polls) because a significant number of MPs are preoccupied with elections,” he said.

The AIMIM chief also complained that the copies of the bill have not been circulated among MPs.

“It will suddenly be given to us on April 16, the day the Budget session reconvenes. This has been the modus operandi of the BJP. We usually need time to study the bills presented in Parliament to form an opinion,” he said.

West Bengal is set to go on polls in two phases, on 23rd and 29th April. The votes will be tallied on 4th May, 2026.

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