Cong worse than BRS, decimated Muslim leadership in state

Hyderabad: Tehreek Muslim Shabban president and Telangana Muslim Joint Action Committee convener Mohammed Mushtaq Malik on Friday stated that the voters belonging to minority communities, especially Muslims, should not lose their relevance in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections due to continuous neglect by Congress and Bharat Rashtra Samithi.

Mushtaq Malik alleged that the Congress, which enjoyed the open support of leading Muslim organisations in Assembly elections, has failed to do justice to minorities since coming to power. He claimed that its beginning was worse than that of the BRS, which decimated Muslim leadership across Telangana over the last decade. He stated “Muslim organisations supported Congress with confidence, expecting it to ensure the socio-economic, educational, and political empowerment of minorities. However, despite enjoying open support during Assembly elections, the Congress government has sent a message that it no longer needs them,” he added. He further criticized the Congress government for not inducting a Muslim minister into the cabinet and for failing to ensure the election of Muslim candidates as MLAs.

Mushtaq Malik criticised Congress for denying a cabinet berth to a Muslim under the pretext that Muslims did not elect any Muslim MLAs and for not appointing Muslim leaders to top positions in recently formed corporations.

“Congress should have rectified the injustices perpetrated by the previous BRS government and avoided repeating the mistakes of the BRS government.”

However, he accused the Congress government of conspiring to suppress Muslim leadership within their party by denying a cabinet to a Muslim leader. “This makes Congress no different from the BJP, which does not make Muslim ministers,” he added.

Mushtaq Malik criticised the state government for failing to appoint a head for the party’s minority department for four months, stating that the Congress party cannot avoid scrutiny by labelling these issues as internal matters.

“Parties like Congress and BRS are discouraging Muslim leaders within their parties. Despite Muslim voters playing a decisive role in 14 out of 17 Lok Sabha constituencies and 40 out of 119 Assembly segments, the major parties, who call themselves secular, have not produced a single leader who could contest and win an election,” he added.

He cited past leaders like Kamaluddin Ahmed, Abdul Lateef, Col Nizamuddin, and Lal Jan Pasha, who were elected as MPs from Congress, TDP, and the Left, as examples. However, he claimed that Congress and BRS have ceased to nominate Muslim leaders for elections, except for token representation against AIMIM Asaduddin Owaisi from the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat.

He warned Congress against the arrogance and neglect of Muslim leadership and voters, cautioning them not to take Muslim voters for granted in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He stated that Muslim organisations were in touch and they would determine the future course of action in a few days.