By TCN Staff Reporter
Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Itehadul Muslimeen(AIMIM) reiterated its earlier standon the Telanagana issue at the all party meeting called by Union Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.
MIM favored status quo of the state and in case of bifurcation on the ground of ‘economic backwardness’ Rayalseema and Telangana regions should be merged to form a separate state of ‘Rayal-Telangana’ with Hyderabad city as its capital.
MIM made it clear that bifurcation or not there will be no compromise on the status of Hyderabad and it should not be converted into a union territory. Ironically MIM was the first to give the suggestion of converting Hyderabad city into a union territory during the peak of Telangana agitation in 2010.
Eight political parties from Andhra Pradesh INC, TDP, YSR Congress, TRS, CPI, CPI (M), BJP, and MIM were represented by two delegates each from the party. While CPI, BJP, TRS supported formation of separate Telangana state, TDP maintained that it will not have any problem with the bifurcation of the state and will adhere to the decision from the union govt.
Whereas YSR Congress, and CPI(M) clearly rejected the idea of separate Telanagana state and supported status quo. The ruling party Indian National Congress was divided in its approach where each representative from different region singing in dissimilar tune. MIM on the other hand made all the options open with some conditions, which was in the larger interest of the party’s growth in different minority concentrated districts.
Majlis-e-Itehadul-Muslimeen was represented by its president Assaduddin Owaisi who was surprisingly accompanied by Gajula Vijaya Gyaneshwar Naidu an advocate and Jubilee hills constituency incharge of the party.
Mr. Owaisi during the meeting even had a verbal spat with his friend turned enemy and as put by him successor of Narsimha Rao chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy. Mr. Owaisi reportedly criticized A.P. Congress Govt. on the handling of the disputed Bhagya Laxmi Mandir adjacent to Charminar. Mr. Reddy interrupted Mr. Owaisi and protested against raising a separate issue in the Telangana meeting.
Which got both leaders into a verbal spat accusing each other of playing communal politics, Union Home Minister finally had to intervened to pacify both the leaders.
MIM’s unique stance of greater Telangana or a Rayal-Telangana state is different stand from all the other major parties. Telangana and Rayalseema both regions has significant concentration of Muslim population, Telangana has about 14% Muslim population, whereas in Rayalseema it is near to 18%. There are four assembly constituencies in Rayalseema where Muslim vote is a decisive factor. In addition to the above factors MIM already have good hold in the region, with party running Municipal Council in the Kurnool city of the Rayalseema.
Union Home Minister after the meeting announced in the press conference that a final decision on the fate of Andhra Pradesh will be taken within a month, but people in Telangana are skeptical that this assurance of present Home Minister could turn out to be the same old four week assurance given by his predecessor one year ago.