Kamal Ghorui
KOLKATA: Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM Friday severed its electoral alliance with Humayun Kabir’s Aam Janata Unnayan Party, a day after a purported sting video showed a person resembling the suspended TMC MLA discussing a Rs 1,000-crore arrangement with BJP for post-election support and suggesting Muslim voters needed to be “misled” to influence poll outcomes. “Humayun Kabir’s revelations have shown how vulnerable Bengal’s Muslims are. AIMIM cannot associate with statements questioning their integrity,” the party posted on X, adding it would now contest the polls independently. The earlier alliance had AUJP contesting 182 of 294 seats and AIMIM 17. The video, titled ‘The Reality of HK’ and released by TMC, was said to have been recorded on Dec 19 but remains unverified. Kabir dismissed it as AI-generated, accusing TMC of trying to erode his support base, and said he would move court. Amit Shah denied any BJP link. “Kabir and BJP are like South and North Pole,” he said, though Kabir had contested the 2019 LS polls on a BJP ticket. At a rally in Rampurhat, Kabir attended but AIMIM leaders stayed away. He accused Mamata Banerjee of acting as a “middleman of RSS”. – Tamaghna Banerjee & S Boral
