{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Owaisi Pins TMC's Bengal Rout on Muslim Anger Against Mamata, and the '5 Lakh Certificate Game' He Says Sealed Her Fate",
  "summary": "After the Trinamool Congress lost the West Bengal assembly election, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi cornered Mamata Banerjee with four big charges and raised the issue of nearly 5 lakh cancelled OBC certificates.",
  "content": "The defeat of the Trinamool Congress in the West Bengal assembly election has set off a fresh political storm. Amid the noise, the president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Asaduddin Owaisi, has launched a sharp and direct attack on Mamata Banerjee. Speaking to TrendKia, Owaisi argued that there was no single explanation for the TMC's heavy loss in Bengal; instead, the real driver was deep anger building up among ordinary people, and the Muslim community in particular.\n\n'Treated as a vote bank, abandoned in crisis'\nOwaisi alleged that Mamata Banerjee had viewed the state's Muslims as nothing more than a vote bank. According to him, when the community most needed support, in its hour of crisis, it was left to fend for itself. That resentment, he said, eventually turned into votes, and Muslim voters walked away from Mamata.\n\nFour big reasons behind the loss\nThe AIMIM chief listed four main causes for the TMC's defeat. First, the large-scale corruption that spread during the Mamata government. Second, the breakdown in law and order, which he branded as misgovernance. Third, the SIR issue tied to the state's voter list. And fourth, and most important, what he called a betrayal of the Muslim community. In Owaisi's view, these factors together wrote the script for the election result.\n\nHe also said Mamata Banerjee had become completely cut off from the public due to the arrogance of power. She had no sense of the ground reality, he argued, and that distance pushed people towards change.\n\nWhat exactly is the '5 lakh game'\nThe '5 lakh game' that Owaisi referred to in this political clash has its roots in OBC caste certificates. He recalled that roughly one and a half to two years ago, the Kolkata High Court had cancelled about 5 lakh OBC certificates in West Bengal. The most striking part, he noted, was that of those 5 lakh cancelled certificates, nearly 3 lakh belonged to people from the Muslim community alone.\n\nOwaisi's contention is that while power was in Mamata Banerjee's hands, she could have passed a law in the assembly to safeguard the rights of these people, had she wished to. But according to him, nothing was done on that front.\n\nA word of advice to the parties\nFinally, Owaisi advised Mamata Banerjee and other political parties that the time had come to put a complete stop to discrimination against Muslims. He said bluntly that parties must stop treating Muslims merely as a means to win elections or as a vote bank, and must instead see them as equal and respected citizens of the country. He claimed that by displaying their anger in the Bengal election, Muslims had made it clear that they would no longer stay silent in the fight for their rights and rightful share.\n\nWhat this means for you\n• Across India: This row is a reminder that documents like caste certificates and voter lists directly affect reservation, jobs and electoral rights, so it is wise to check the status of your OBC or voter papers in time.\n• In West Bengal: For the nearly 5 lakh people whose OBC certificates were cancelled by the Kolkata High Court, reservation benefits and government facilities could be affected, so those impacted should verify the validity of their certificates.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. What four reasons did Owaisi give for the TMC's defeat?\nHe cited corruption, poor law and order (misgovernance), the SIR issue tied to the voter list, and a betrayal of the Muslim community as the main reasons.\n\n2. What is the '5 lakh game' connected to?\nIt is connected to OBC caste certificates, with the Kolkata High Court having cancelled about 5 lakh OBC certificates in West Bengal.\n\n3. How many of the 5 lakh cancelled certificates belonged to the Muslim community?\nAccording to Owaisi, of the roughly 5 lakh cancelled certificates, nearly 3 lakh belonged to people from the Muslim community alone.\n\n4. What advice did Owaisi give political parties?\nHe said parties must stop treating Muslims as a vote bank and instead regard them as equal and respected citizens of the country.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/politics/bngala-men-tmc-ki-hara-para-ovaisi-ka-bara-dava-musalamanon-ne-mamata-ko-sabaka--1343",
  "category": "Politics",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-16",
  "tags": [
    "Asaduddin Owaisi",
    "Mamata Banerjee",
    "West Bengal Election",
    "Trinamool Congress",
    "AIMIM",
    "OBC Certificate",
    "Muslim Vote Bank",
    "Kolkata High Court"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}