Former AAP leader Tahir Hussain, an accused in the larger conspiracy case related to the 2020 Delhi riots, joined Asaduddin Owasi led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) on Tuesday.
After joining the party, Hussain was announced as its nominee from Mustafabad assembly segment, which lies in the North Eastern part of the city, for the upcoming Delhi assembly elections.
Announcing this move, AIMIM President Asaduddin Owasi in a post on X wrote: “ Former MCD Councillor Tahir Hussain joined AIMIM and will be our candidate from Mustafabad Assembly Constituency in the upcoming Delhi Vidhan Sabha elections. His family members & supporters met with me today & joined the party.”
This comes a day after AAP announced their second list of 20 candidates and has fielded Adil Ahmed Khan as its candidate from the same constituency.
Hussain was a councilor from Nehru Vihar and in the year 2020, AAP had expelled him from the party when his name surfaced in the Delhi riots.
He has been lodged in jail since 2020 under UAPA and conspiracy to riot sections.
The move has been strongly criticized by the saffron party. Speaking a news agency, BJP leader Kapil Mishra said, “He is not just an accused in the riots; but bombs, numerous petrol bombs, and stones were also found in his house. All these weapons were collected by Tahir Hussain to target Hindus in Delhi”.
He added, “IB’s young officer Ankit Sharma was taken to his house, brutally stabbed 400 times, and then his body was dumped in a drain—this heinous crime was also committed by him.”
“By giving a ticket to such a murderer and rioter, Owaisi and so-called secular parties are challenging Delhi’s Hindus. Owaisi’s party is acting like the B team of the Aam Aadmi Party,” said Mishra.