AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday invoked the victory of Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed in the US, to call for building a Muslim political identity in Uttar Pradesh, saying an Abdul will now become a leader in the state.

“An ‘Abdul’ has won in Michigan; now, the ‘Abdul’ of Uttar Pradesh must strengthen his own political identity,” Owaisi posted on X.

He was reacting to the mid-term election results in the United States where Abdul El-Sayed won the Michigan Senate race to become the first Muslim US senator.

The Hyderabad MP said ‘Sanghis’ made many attempts to make mockery of the name “Abdul”.

“The time has come for us to demonstrate that ‘Abdul’ bows in servitude to no one but Allah. We will no longer be the ones laying out carpets for others,” he said.

Owaisi also spoke on the issue during an interaction with the media at his party’s headquarters Darussalam here.

“BJP used to say ‘Abdul makes puncture’. We are saying Abdul will now become leader. He will not lay carpets nor be scared of the RSS nor bow before anybody. Abdul will do his job and become a leader,” he said.

Owaisi slammed the BJP government at the Centre for telling the Delhi High Court that the century-old Qadeemi Masjid, located within the Krishi Bhawan compound in New Delhi, must be removed to make way for the redevelopment of Common Central Secretariat (CCS) under the Central Vista project.

The MP stated that when the construction of Lutyens’ Delhi started in 1908, several villages were acquired but these mosques were not acquired.

“This mosque is a part of cultural and historical heritage of the country. It was built even before Krishi Bhavan. This is registered Waqf. The government is not its owner,” he said.

The MP said Union Minorities Welfare Minister Kiren Rijiju should tell these people that the government is not the owner. He said the mosque existed even before Delhi became the national Capital and the Constitution of India was framed.

“If you want to contest that this is government property, go to the Waqf tribunal and argue there. What do you want to do. It is registered Waqf. There is gazette. You are saying it is the property of Krishi Bhavan. It’s not the property of Krishi Bhavan,” he said.

He slammed the Centre for its argument that the mosque is “impermissible and incompatible with the secular character of government property”.

“Is this your secularism that you want to demolish a registered Waqf property which enjoys legal protection,” he asked.

Owaisi recalled that the Modi government inaugurated the Central Vista project with a Bhoomi Pooja. “Apparently, secularism is not offended by the use of one faith’s rituals for a public project, but is allergic to a mosque that has stood there even before 1912, long before Krishi Bhawan was even built,” he said.

“What will Amit Shah say now,” asked Owaisi when his reaction was sought on Hyderabad District Election Officer R.V. Karnan’s statement that no illegal immigrants were found in Hyderabad’s electoral rolls.

He recalled the statements of BJP leaders that surgical strikes will be conducted on Hyderabad.

He said that the poor suffered a lot because of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Owaisi said AIMIM helped all eligible voters, irrespective of their religion, during the SIR process.

The BJP on Wednesday criticised Samajwadi Party (SP) President, Akhilesh Yadav’s indication that he would not contest the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, saying he had made the right decision as he would otherwise face the fate of several INDIA Bloc leaders who lost recent electoral contests.

The BJP said Yadav was aware of the political situation and the possibility of facing defeat if he entered the electoral fray.

The controversy follows Yadav’s remarks during his visit to Varanasi on Tuesday. When asked by reporters whether he would contest the next year’s Assembly elections, possibly from a constituency in the city, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister responded in his characteristic witty style.

“We become chief minister when we do not contest elections. So, we will do what is auspicious for us,” he said.

Reacting to his remarks, Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Anil Rajbhar said Yadav lacked the courage to face the public and was making excuses through political statements.

“They do not have the courage to face the public. They know this very well and are simply making excuses and engaging in political theatrics. The Samajwadi Party and its leaders are anti-development, anti-farmer, anti-youth, anti-student and anti-women. They lack the courage to face the people because they know that if they go among the public, voters will reject them decisively,” he told media.

Uttar Pradesh Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar also criticised the SP chief, saying he was unwilling to contest elections or face the public.

“He will neither contest the elections nor go to the people. He is neither willing to enter the electoral fray nor face the public. The people have already rejected Akhilesh Yadav,” he said.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Pal said Yadav had taken the right decision by staying away from the electoral contest.

“He has made a very right decision; otherwise, his fate would have been like Kejriwal losing the Assembly election in Delhi, Mamata Banerjee losing in Bengal, and the INDIA Bloc’s chief ministerial face Gaurav Gogoi losing in Assam. He knows that the public is not just defeating the INDIA Bloc but soundly routing them, and even their incumbent Chief Ministers are losing,” Pal said.

However, Uttar Pradesh Minister Nitin Agrawal said contesting elections was an individual’s personal decision and Yadav was entitled to make his choice.

“Who will contest elections and who will not, is an individual’s personal decision. He has decided that he will not contest; that is his personal decision. In a democracy, one should win elections and come to the House. I believe that those who contest elections and win have greater credibility in a democracy. The rest is everyone’s personal choice,” he said.

BJP MLA Paltu Ram also criticised Yadav, alleging that his decision amounted to making a mockery of democracy. He further accused the SP of disregarding democratic values and constitutional institutions, alleging that its tenure in Uttar Pradesh was marked by lawlessness and a ‘goonda raj’.

Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput defended the SP chief, saying his decision to contest or not contest the elections would not affect his role in the party’s campaign.

“Whether or not Akhilesh Yadav contests the elections, he is currently an honourable Member of Parliament and will lead the party’s election campaign. The entire responsibility of the party rests on his shoulders. Whatever decision he takes will be acceptable to everyone in the INDIA alliance, as he is one of our key leaders,” he said.

Samajwadi Party MP Lalji Verma also supported Yadav’s decision, saying that not contesting an election could allow a leader to work across the entire state.

“When a leader does not contest an election himself, they get the opportunity to work freely across the entire state. So, certainly, whatever his decision is, it might be of this nature, and we do not have to comment on it,” he said.

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has conducted search and seizure operations at 10 locations across Delhi-NCR, Haryana, and Punjab in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to the alleged illegal procurement and sale of imported foreign liquor through Gurugram-based liquor vend chain ‘The Theka’.

The searches, carried out by the ED’s Gurugram Zonal Office on Tuesday and Wednesday under the PMLA, covered offices and residences of individuals associated with ‘The Theka’, foreign liquor suppliers, transporters, and others allegedly involved in the liquor syndicate.

According to the ED, the investigation stems from FIRs and charge sheets filed by Haryana Police over allegations of illegal sale of imported foreign liquor and misuse of the bond-to-bond transfer mechanism to evade customs duties and state excise taxes.

The case originated from a complaint by Excise Department officials, who seized 3,921 cases and 176 loose bottles of imported foreign liquor allegedly lacking mandatory holograms and Track & Trace strips from ‘The Theka’ on December 9, 2025. Another FIR was also registered against members of the syndicate for alleged involvement in the sale of spurious liquor.

The ED said its probe revealed that the syndicate exploited the bond-to-bond transfer system, which permits movement of imported liquor between states without immediate payment of customs and excise duties. To facilitate the operation, separate companies were established in Haryana and Goa/Maharashtra and requisite customs licences obtained.

While the liquor was officially meant to be transported to bonded warehouses in Goa or Maharashtra, investigators found that consignments were diverted in connivance with transporters and supplied directly to liquor vends in Gurugram. The liquor was then sold as legitimate imported stock, enabling the syndicate to evade customs duties, VAT, cesses, and other taxes.

The agency alleged that after securing a liquor licence for the 2025-27 period, the syndicate procured and sold imported liquor without holograms and Track & Trace strips to increase profits. More than one lakh bottles of imported liquor were procured and illegally sold between June and November 2025.

According to the ED, the operation yielded profits of 20-25 per cent on illegal sales and generated proceeds of crime exceeding Rs 10 crore.

During the searches, officials recovered and seized incriminating documents, digital records relating to the procurement and movement of imported liquor under customs bond arrangements, and cash amounting to Rs 11 lakh.

Further investigation is underway.