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Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday dismissed the possibility of an alliance with Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and dubbed it as Bharatiya Janata Party's "B-team".
Slamming AIMIM, Kharge said that Congress needs to be cautious of such parties which try to defeat "secular parties". "Congress has not yet received any proposal (of an alliance)," Kharge told ANI. A strategy for an alliance is decided within the party, he said, adding that "there is a need to be cautious of such parties which attempt to defeat secular parties." Kharge further alleged that the AIMIM is working at the behest of the BJP. His remarks come after Shiv Sena also termed AIMIM as BJP's "B team" while rejecting scope for an alliance with AIMIM. Earlier, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Rout also rejected the possibility of AIMIM's alliance with Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), saying "those who bow before the grave of Aurangzeb cannot become Maharashtra's ideal". "Maharashtra government is formed by three parties, Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party. There will be no inclusion of any fourth party," Raut said. The AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel steered the alliance discussions after he said that the party is willing to enter into an alliance with Congress and the NCP in the upcoming Maharashtra civic polls in order to defeat the BJP. "The AIMIM is always held responsible for the BJP's victory. It is said that we are 'B' team of the BJP, so we gave them (Congress) an offer to form an alliance with us. Since they are with Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, they'll never agree to form an alliance with us," Jaleel had said. (ANI)
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