AIMIM should be banned, says new Telangana BJP chief

Newly-appointed Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar said on Sunday the AIMIM should be banned for its link to "violence and terrorists" and claimed Congress workers will join the saffron organisation in large numbers as their party was staring at "disintegration" in the state.

Appointed as the state party chief last week, the first time Lok Sabha MP sees himself as a "fighter" for Hindutva ideals and accused the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) of joining hands with the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM, which has strong presence in Hyderabad, to instigate violence during protests against the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

"We (BJP) will soon launch a state-wide exercise highlighting the nexus between the TRS and the AIMIM for sheer vote bank politics. The AIMIM is essentially a party of terrorists," Kumar alleged, stating that Owaisi's party should be banned.

Speaking to PTI, Kumar, 48, accused the
Kumar mentions with pride that he was jailed for at least seven times between 2005 and 2011 during agitation over