Asaduddin Owaisi is the president of the All India Majlis-e Ittehadul Muslameen. He is a three time Member of Parliament representing the Hyderabad constituency in the Lok Sabha. He was honoured with Sansad Ratn Award for overall best performance in the 15th Lok Sabha in 2014.

Owaisi is known for his articulation on constitutional rights of the Muslim community in India. His party is trying to move beyond Hyderabad and expand its base to other parts of the country. In this interview with Asad Ashraf, Owaisi talks about his party's loss in Uttar Pradesh , the crackdown on meat shops in UP and the question of the Pasmanda community within Muslims among other issues. Excerpts:

Q: After the electoral debacle in Bihar, you came out saying that the party will perform better in the Uttar Pradesh election as there was some party structure there and that people are working on the ground in the state. What do you have to say about your recent loss in Uttar Pradesh?

A: It is sad that we didn’t get success. However, victory and loss are a part of the electoral process and I humbly accept the people’s verdict. I am happy though that through this election I have been able to establish my party in the state. We will introspect into the causes of defeat and try to overcome them in the next elections.

Q: Quite a number of leaders from secular outfits and analysts have been pointing that your entering the electoral fray in Uttar Pradesh caused religious polarisation, essentially because you spoke exclusively for the Muslims. What are your thoughts on that?

A: The question here is that if I have contested 35 seats out of 403 seats, how does it cause polarisation? Secondly, many Muslim scholars and ulemas urged Muslims to vote for Dalit parties. Thirdly, during the tenure of Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh there were 400 communal riots, a riot like Muzaffarnagar happened, there were custodial deaths, Samajwadi party was engaged in its own family feud, Bahujan Samaj Party gave tickets to 100 Muslim candidates. Leaders and analysts who have been pointing fingers at me do not have the courage to question why justice was not given to the victims of communal riots. Why did Muslim candidates of the BSP lose? Why did Congress lose seats in Amethi and Rai Barelli? Counter-polarisation did not take place because of me but due to the misgovernance of Samajwadi Party.

I did not contest elections in Jharkand, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir. Why did BJP form the governments in these states? Is it also because of me?

Q: Going through the population composition of places where you had fielded your candidates in UP, it appears you had put them up where there were large chunks of Muslim population. Why so when you claim that you are not merely the representative of Muslims?

A: It was the first time that we were contesting elections in Uttar Pradesh. Like other parties we also have our electoral calculations. It was the party’s decision to contest the election on these seats. I am sure if I had placed my candidates in other seats and not these, you would have had another question on similar lines for me.

Q: By following your interviews and speeches quite closely one can observe that you talk about the constitutional rights of the minorities and other marginalised communities. But why is there a perception among the masses at large that Asaduddin Owasi is communal?

A: What is happening in this country is that you don’t talk about Sharia, you leave the matter of Triple Talaq for Hindutva, you don’t eat meat for Hindutva, you sacrifice your culture for Hindutva, and for secularism, you end your political participation. If I take a position against meat ban, Hindutva, ill-representation of the Muslim community politically I am branded as communal. I really can’t help it.

Q: How do you see your politics in the future? Experts and scholars believe that there cannot be any future for a political party which solely talks about the issues and rights of Muslims in this country.

A: It will be too early to comment on that. I suggest you write an obituary after my death. If I don’t get success in my own life, the future generations will reap the benefits out of my politics.

Q: There is another brand of politics within the Muslim community which identifies itself as backward ~ the Pasmandas. These groups do not accept you as their leader and claim that you represent upper caste Muslims. What do you have to say about that?

A: Yes, there are social groups within Muslims. However, I don’t identify myself as a Pasmanda or Ashraf. I only identify myself as a Muslim. In fact, I have clearly stated that Dalits should include Muslim Dalits too. My position is that the 1950 presidential order be removed which violates different fundamental rights of the Constitution.

Q: What is your position on the recent crackdown on meat shops and the attack on the economy of a certain community?

A: We all have to struggle against it. Muslims have been struggling for long and they will continue to do so. But I also think that secular forces such as Samajwadi Party are responsible for this crackdown and not just BJP. Why didn’t they renew the licences of the slaughter houses whose licences had expired? You knew that Rs 11,000-crore revenue was coming from the export of meat. Why didn’t you renew them?

As far as BJP is concerned, their hypocrisy is not hidden. It is the party which talks about the beef ban in North India and assures that people in North East will get to eat beef. As I said earlier, “Cow is mummy for BJP in North India and yummy in North East India.”

Q: It is often said that the Muslim community has to undergo some kind of social reformation. What is your position on that?

A: I strongly believe that the key to any kind of reform is political participation. As the late Kanshiram used to say, if we have political representation as a community our status both socially and economically will improve. It must be understood that for any reforms to take place within a community, their political participation must be ensured and they must have adequate representation in Parliament and state assemblies.