Sting video sparks political fallout: AIMIM snaps ties with Humayun Kabir's party

After the purported sting video of Aam Janata Unnayun Party (AJUP) founder Humayun Kabir emerged, Assadudin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen(AIMIM) on  Friday announced that it was withdrawing from an alliance with the former. The video purportedly shows Humayun Kabir telling an unidentified man that he took Rs 1000 crore from the BJP to “plot and mislead” Muslims of West Bengal. Kabir dismissed all the allegations.

However, AIMIM said it was snapping all ties and instead fighting independently in the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal. “Humayun Kabir’s revelations have shown how vulnerable Bengal’s Muslims are. AIMIM cannot associate with any statements  where the integrity of Muslims is brought into question. As of today, AIMIM has withdrawn its alliance with Kabir’s party,” the party’s statement on social media on Friday morning. 

AIMIM also said they would have no alliance with any political party going forward. “Bengal’s Muslims are one of the poorest, neglected and oppressed communities. Despite decades of secular rule, nothing has been done for them. AIMIM’s policy in contesting elections in any state is so that the marginalised communities have an independent political voice. We will be contesting the Bengal elections INDEPENDENTLY and will have no alliance with any party going forward,” the statement added.

The video was released by Trinamool Congress(TMC) on Thursday at a press  conference. It had Kabir in conversation with an unidentified person. Kabir states in the  video that his strategy revolved around diverting minority votes away from the ruling  party, which could benefit the BJP at the ballot box. Kabir also mentions having received Rs 200 crore as an advance as part of a Rs 1,000 crore deal to execute the plan.

He added that he had a “covert” understanding with the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari that if  he manages to secure 70-80 seats and the BJP gets around 100-120 seats, he could support the BJP to form the government. The BJP would make him the Deputy Chief Minister.

TMC Minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim accused Kabir of working with the BJP to  mislead minority votes in the state and asked Kabir not to take the sentiments of  minorities for granted. TMC has demanded an Enforcement Directorate(ED) probe into Kabir’s alleged claims of proximity with Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the Prime Minister’s Office(PMO) as part of a multi-crore plan to defeat Banerjee in the polls.

Kabir, meanwhile, refuted the allegations, calling it an AI-generated video by TMC, which was afraid of losing minority votes. The BJP distanced itself from the controversy, stating that it was a TMC-AJUP nexus.

The AIMIM and AJUP formed an alliance with an aim of bagging minority votes, particularly in the three minority-dominant districts of Malda, Murshidabad and Uttar Dinajpur. Kabir was suspended from the TMC in 2025 after he went ahead with initiating the construction of the Babri Masjid in Murshidabad district on December 6th last year, on the anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition.