AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has said Muslims no longer need “a Gandhi or a Nehru” and should build their own leadership. He made the remark while addressing a rally in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, on Sunday, October 11, 2026, news agency ANI reported.
What Owaisi said
“We no longer need a Gandhi or a Nehru; we need our own leaders,” Owaisi said, according to ANI’s translation of his speech.
He said some people within the community were asking Muslims to support other parties on the promise that “the likes of Nehru and Gandhi will emerge from among them”.
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“That is the difference between them and Owaisi. They say, ‘Support them’. I say, ‘You become the leader’. We are not slaves to anyone; we will not simply run after someone just because they claim to be the next Nehru or Gandhi,” he said.
Owaisi also said, “No one speaks about our suffering. Yet today, the police detain someone and order them not to stage a protest for a year.”
Remarks on Nehru, Gandhi and Maulana Azad
At the same rally, Owaisi referred to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. He claimed Nehru had written that removing the Maulana would cause damage, and said this showed that “only the Muslim vote was desired”. He also claimed that Gandhi had advised against appointing Azad and suggested appointing another Muslim instead.
Attack on Samajwadi Party over SIR
Owaisi questioned the Samajwadi Party’s “PDA” leaders over voter names removed from the electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). He said AIMIM had worked to locate and restore the names of lakhs of voters.
He also said that when the law on the appointment of Election Commissioners was introduced in Parliament in 2024, AIMIM was among those who pointed out its flaws.
Speaking in Lucknow on Monday morning, Owaisi said Muslims had “ruined themselves” by backing the Samajwadi Party for two to three generations, and asked what the party had done for Azamgarh.
Why it matters
Owaisi’s remarks come ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Azamgarh is considered a Samajwadi Party stronghold, and AIMIM is trying to expand its base among Muslim voters in the state.
Frequently asked questions
What did Asaduddin Owaisi say about Gandhi and Nehru?
He said, “We no longer need a Gandhi or a Nehru; we need our own leaders,” at a rally in Azamgarh on October 11, 2026, according to ANI.
Where did Owaisi make the remark?
At a rally in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh.
Which party did Owaisi target in his speech?
He questioned the Samajwadi Party’s leaders over voter names removed after the SIR of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh.
Quotes as reported and translated by ANI. Photo: Batthini Vinay Kumar Goud / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
