Mayor Mohammed Majid Hussain stays

Mayor Mohammed Majid Hussain’s resignation was rejected by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s (GHMC) general body at a special meeting convened on Saturday. The meeting was held amidst chaos as the TDP and BJP floor leaders, Singireddy Srinivas Reddy and Bangari Prakash respectively, walked out over the Hussain’s abrupt decision to vacate the Mayor’s post.

Singireddy questioned, “We demand clarity on the resignation as to who would be the next Mayor? What would be the condition of the city if there was no Mayor in place? Also, the Commissioner is currently busy with election duties. So who would be responsible for the civic conditions of the city?”

Responding to the questions, the Mayor said that he had conveyed the reason for his resignation in his letter itself and no further clarification was required.

The Mayor, who was bound by the Moral Code of Conduct, responded by saying that only the meeting’s agenda (resignation) could be discussed and nothing else. If there was any candidate who spoke about anything ahead of the agenda, he would be suspended.

Agitated by the Mayor’s response, the TDP and BJP floor leaders staged a walkout. They were followed by their respective party members.

The walkout did not affect the quorum of the meeting. The Mayor then asked the Congress floor leader, Diddi Rambabu, to present his views on the resignation. Rambabu said, “We do not accept the resignation.”

MIM floor leader Mohammed Nazeerudin added, “Since the quorum has agreed, we have no objection. We too do not accept the resignation. The House is the final authority.”

After the meeting, Syed Amin-ul-Hasan Jafri, senior MIM corporator, said, “This move was keeping in mind the benefit of the city. As of now there would be no change and Majid Hussain would continue as the Mayor.”

When asked whether this would strain ties between the MIM and the Congress, he said, “This would make us stronger. There would be no problems at all.” He also said that it was up to the party (MIM) higher-ups to take a call. Since they were all busy with the upcoming elections they found this to be in the best interest.

On speaking to Diddi Rambabu, he said, “We have the best interests of the people in mind for now. With the election code in place we thought that it was best for the Mayor to continue. Once the code is called off, we would ask for a resignation and then takeover.”