In a sudden move, Gujarat president of All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has dissolved all the units of the party in Surat, sources said on Tuesday.
The development came soon after party leader Asaduddin Owaisi addressed a public meeting in the Limbayat area of Surat city in South Gujarat.
Within 24 hours of his visit, the state unit president dissolved Surat city and district committees, women committees and youth wing.
According to Wasim Qureshi, Surat city committee president of AIMIM, no reason has been given in the letter by the state unit president for dissolving committees. He further said he is taking legal advice on the issue following which, he will come out with his version.
It could possibly be a knee-jerk reaction to a video clip of a party's office-bearer doing rounds on social media, he said. He can be seen countering the allegations made against him and other senior office-bearers in the party.
IANS could not contact Sabir Kabliwala despite repeated attempts. His letter only states that all committees of Surat city and districts are dissolved and soon new office-bearers will be appointed.
In the said video clip which has apparently rocked the party, Surat youth wing vice-president Saiyed Mazhar Saiyed Qamar is alleging that Surat city president Wasim Qureshi and state unit office-bearer Khurshid Ahmed had approached him last week and requested to donate Rs 3.50 lakh to the party, against which party national leader Owaisi will stop at Zampabazar, where he would get an opportunity to welcome the leader. Of which Rs 2.50 lakh he had given in cash to Qureshi and Ahmed, he claims.
Mazhar claims that he was promised that for this route of the national leader to be changed he will stop at two places in the Zampabazar area, and in both places, he will welcome Owaisi. This will help in increasing his popularity and credibility in his area.
Despite paying Rs 2.50 lakh in advance, Owaisi did not stop in the Zampabazar. He feels that party office-bearers have cheated in the name of national leaders. He feared those who have cheated are big wigs of the community and the party and that his life is under threat. He has dared to make this public in the larger interest so that in future, no one else is cheated in the name of the party or its national leadership.
Party sources also said that no doubt there was a huge gathering in Limbayat, but when Owaisi's convoy was approaching the venue, at one location, a small group showed black flags, this too has been taken seriously by the party-state and national leaders.