The party has its roots in the efforts of Hyderabadi Muslims, in the late 1920s, who had come together to unite the community on a common platform. Their main objective was to promote the socio-economic and educational development of Muslims. The organization in its first year of inception was known as Majlis Ittehad Bain al Muslimeen and later on as Majlis Ittehad ul Muslimeen. In this phase, Naw
ab Bahadur Yar Jung was its tallest leader whose dedication, sincerity, and skill made the organization reach new heights in a short period of time. He served as its president until his untimely death, under mysterious circumstances, in 1944. The organization thereafter went through an era of upheaval in the backdrop of decolonisation, partition of the Indian sub-continent, and the subsequent police action in Hyderabad of 1948. There was a widespread sense of fear and despair among the Muslims of Hyderabad who had just witnessed the massacres and lootings of the Police Action. Their economic and social base was crushed through a policy of retrenchment, forcible retirements, illegal occupation of mosques & awqaf propeties, introduction of land ceilings, etc. The Muslim community at that time had no credible leadership to call of their own and their representation in the legislatures was next to nil. After almost a decade of inactivity, the Majlis was revived in 1958 by Maulwi Abdul Wahed Owaisi, a notable lawyer and graduate of the famous Jamia Nizamia, who was earlier jailed for ten months for his courageous political activities in defending the rights of the people. The party was now called the All India Majlis Ittehad ul Muslimeen (AIMIM). Undeterred by the prevailing atmosphere of fear & misery, Abdul Wahid Owaisi took upon the onerous task of organising the community. His message of hope soon caught the imagination of the masses who found a new leader in their midst who was not afraid of taking on the might of the powers of the day. Thousands of people began attending his meetings and he was invited to speak on other platforms as well. He proved himself to be an articulate spokesperson of Indian Muslim demands. He quoted articles 14 to 25 of the Constitution of India to stress that the rights of the people could only be protected through political participation. He called for a proportionate share of Muslims in government employment and the creation of a fund of Rs.20 crores for their development. The AIMIM began its electoral debut in 1959 when it contested and won two municipal by-elections in the city of Hyderabad. The candidates won with huge margins of 50% and 65%, respectively. The other leading contenders, backed by the Congress party, nearly lost their deposits. In the 1960 municipal elections in Hyderabad, the AIMIM contested 30 of 66 seats and won a spectacular 19. Since then there was no looking back and the party grew from strength to strength. Maulwi Abdul Wahed Owaisi’s main contribution was integrating a disheartened Muslim community into India’s democratic framework and political processes. Through his tireless two decade long judicial battle, he was able to restore the Darus Salam, the headquarter of the party, back to the Majlis. He was adoringly conferred the title of ‘Fakhr-e-Millat’ by the community.
