Amidst a controversy over him skipping the flag-hoisting event to commemorate the Marathwada Liberation Day here in Maharashtra, AIMIM MP from Aurangabad, Imtiyaz Jaleel, on Tuesday said he was being singled out only because of his Muslim identity.
Without assigning reason for his absence, the AIMIM leader said he would attend the event next year.
Jaleel, who also heads the Maharashtra unit of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), also said he was still optimistic about sealing a seat-sharing deal with Bharipa Bahujan Aghadi (BBA) of Prakash Ambedkar.
"Some ministers and public representatives from the ruling Shiv Sena and the BJP also remained absent for the flag-hoisting ceremony (on September 17). However, only I am being questioned over my absence because I am a Muslim," he said during a talk organised by BBC Marathi here.
Jaleel said state minster Gulabrao Patil, MP Hemant Patil of Shiv Sena and another MP also skipped the event.
On that day, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hoisted the tricolour in Aurangabad to mark the 71st Marathwada Liberation Day.
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The Day was celebrated to commemorate Marathwada's integration with India when the military invaded State of Hyderabad, and defeated the Nizam to merge Hyderabad into the Indian Union on September 17, 1948.
This is the fifth year that Jaleel, who represented Aurangabad Central seat as an MLA before his election as MP this year, gave the event a miss, inviting strong reactions from Shiv Sena leaders.
On a breakdown in alliance between the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) and AIMIM for the October 21 Maharashtra assembly elections, Jaleel wondered why he was being projected as a "villain".
The talks between the AIMIM and the VBA which had contested the Parliamentary polls under the aegis of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), had hit a roadblock recently over number of seats.
BBM leader Prakash Ambedkar had indirectly blamed Jaleel for the rupture in ties. He, however, on Monday said the BBM was open for a dialogue with the AIMIM.
"Why I am being made into a villain? We were waiting for the last two months to formalise distribution of seats (with the BBA). As AIMIM has 150 corporators in state, two MLAs and some grampanchayat members, we were expecting a respectful number of seats to contest," he said.
Jaleel also said the VBA committee that held talks with the AIMIM was not authorised to take necessary decisions.
"Though the alliance is not in existence today, anything can happen and there can be a new formula between VBA and AIMIM," he said.
Jaleel alleged the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is mired in corruption.