Congress storms into MIM bastions

Election meetings addressed by party leaders are attended by impressive crowds

Hyderabad: Leader of Opposition in Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir has accused the MIM leadership of deliberately perpetuating the backwardness in the Old City of Hyderabad.Addressing a series of meetings at Doodh Bowli, Ghansi Bazar, Pathergatti and Puranapul divisions here on Wednesday, Shabbir Ali slammed the MIM leadership for never bothering about resolving the problems being faced by the people in the Old City.

"MIM leaders have become millionaires during the last few decades. But the people who voted for them are still poor with most of them working as vendors, auto drivers or daily- wage earners," he said.Shabbir Ali said the MIM leaders had scuttled every move to develop the Old City. "Right from expansion of roads to Metro Rail in the Old City, MIM opposed every developmental project.

They never wanted to ensure that the people in this part of the city attain economic prosperity. Government schools and colleges were systematically closed. Urdu schools were also neglected and closed. All public hospitals, including famous Charminar Hospital, lay in derilect.

They even failed to regularise the services of Mecca Masjid employees and the staff were not paid salaries on time. They wanted everyone in the Old City to move with a begging bowl. The concept of accountability never existed and they woul suppress any kind of criticism or opposition," he said.

The Congress leader listed out various measures taken by the previous Congress government for the development of Muslim community. He said 4% Muslim reservation had benefitted nearly 10 lakh socially and economically backward Muslims. Thousands of students had benefited by scholarship and Fee Reimbursement schemes.

He said that the Congress government supported modernisation of Madarsas and also distributed computers. He slammed the TRS government for not honouring the promise of 12% Muslim reservation. He said except for making flase promises, the TRS government did not nothing concrete for the Muslim community.

Shabbir Ali appealed to the people to support and strengthen the Congress party across the country. He said only Congress alone was capable of fighting the rising tide of communalism and intolerance in the country. He said it was intolerance and fundamentalism that drove Rohit Vemula, a Dalit scholar, to suicide in University of Hyderabad. He said that the BJP government at the Centre was openly promoting hatred.

Citing an instance, he said one of the accused in Ajmer bomb blast case was invited as Chief Guest at a meeting in a Gujarat University. In a bid to poison the young minds, the BJP and the Sang Parivar had been lauding Godse, who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi.

He praised the poets, authors and other eminent personalities including Ashok Vajpeyi, Nayantara Sehgal, and others for have returned their awards to protest against the government's failure to stop rising intolerance in the country.

The crowds at the whistle-stops were impressive. It was the first the Congress election meeting attracted impressive crowds in Old city. Congress candidates Meraj Mohammed (Doodh Bowli), Mohammed Ghouse (Purana Pul), Mohd Sohail (Shalibanda) and other leaders including GHCC Minorities Department chairman Shaik Abdullah Sohail, Telangana Youth Congress president Anil Kumar Yadav and other senior leaders addressed the meetings.