India, May 5 -- AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has called for Muslims to build independent political leadership, stating that so-called secular parties will not be able to stop the expansion of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Speaking in Hyderabad on Tuesday, Owaisi accused several opposition parties, including the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Shiv Sena (UBT) and the erstwhile NCP, of practicing "soft Hindutva" while failing to effectively represent Muslim interests.

He said that Muslims in India should unite and develop their own political leadership to ensure proper representation and a stronger voice in governance. According to him, voting for secular parties has not yielded meaningful political influence for the ...