Radiance News Service
Hyderabad, Nov. 14, 2023
With Assembly elections drawing nearer, Telangana Congress president A. Revanth Reddy has stepped up attacks on Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) over its alleged secret understanding with the BJP.
Revanth Reddy has questioned MIM president and Hyderabad MP as to why he or his brother Akbaruddin Owaisi are not contesting elections against BJP’s Raja Singh and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who spew venom against Muslims.
“Instead of contesting against them, the MIM leaders have fielded a candidate to defeat a Muslim leader Mohammed Azharuddin,” said Revanth Reddy.
Azharuddin, the former Indian cricket captain and working president of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC), is contesting the election from Jubilee Hills constituency in Hyderabad.
The MIM has fielded its corporator Mohammed Rashed Farazuddin from Jubilee Hills. The Congress leaders alleged that this was done to help BRS by dividing Muslim votes. They recalled that in 2014, MIM had fielded a non-Muslim candidate and though the party finished runner-up, no candidate was fielded in 2018 to help TRS (now BRS) against the Congress candidate.
The Congress leaders said when Azharuddin had good chances of winning the election from Jubilee Hills, MIM fielded a Muslim candidate to help sitting MLA and BRS candidate Maganti Gopinath.
Revanth Reddy also questioned Owaisi why MIM is contesting only 9 seats and that too only in Hyderabad.
The TPCC president and Asaduddin Owaisi are engaged in a bitter war of words, accusing each other of being a puppet of RSS.
Revanth Reddy’s remark that there is ‘khaki knicker’ under Owaisi’s Sherwani has evoked sharp reaction from the MIM leader who accused him of targeting sherwani which is a symbol of Muslim culture and identity.
During the public meetings, Asaduddin Owaisi and his younger brother Akbaruddin Owaisi have been accusing Revanth Reddy of promoting the RSS agenda.
While admitting that he was associated with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in the past, Revanth Reddy denied any links with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Angered over Asaduddin Owaisi addressing him as ‘RSS Anna’ at public meetings, Revanth Reddy said he would call MIM chief Qasim Rizvi.
Qasim Rizvi was leader of Razakars, the private militia which was against Hyderabad State’s integration with the Indian Union.
The Congress party leader also dubbed MIM a party of Razakars. To this Owaisi asked why former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had visited MIM headquarters Darussalam to seek its support.
For the last few weeks, the Congress leaders have been hitting out at BRS and MIM, dubbing them the B and C team of BJP respectively.
Rahul Gandhi, during every election meeting, says that BJP, BRS and MIM are all one. He asks why there are no ED, CBI and IT cases against BRS and MIM leaders when leaders of all the opposition parties in the country are facing the cases. He mentioned BRS extended support to BJP for passing key bills in the Parliament. Rahul Gandhi also attacks MIM for helping BJP by fielding candidates wherever Congress is fighting BJP.
