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Feroz Khan is a brand, who loves Modi, claims Sangh Parivar support to defeat MIM

By Mohd Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,

Hyderabad: Majlis-e-Itehadul Muslimeen is fighting tooth and nail to retain Nampally the only assembly seat they held in New City. Local powerful leader Feroz Khan, runner up in the last election, is fighting election on TDP ticket in alliance with BJP and in spite of this ‘unholy’ alliance, he is confident on defeating Majlis from this Muslim dominated seat, pedestal on some bizarre political calculations.

In Nampamlly from a fruit vendor to a tea seller everyone knows the way to Feroz Khan’s office, stepped into Nampally ask the name and you will be guided with stream of guides. Located in the Ahmed Nagar where MIM Mayor Majid Hussain comes from, it’s a corporate style cabin office in a commercial apartment which doesn’t have any billboard, posters, let alone a name plate to show it as a politician’s bureau. But amusingly people on the streets of Nampally know it well, more so as a place where a leader can get things done.

Popularity of this turncoat from Congress to TDP is exactly proportionate to the progressive work he has done in this segment. In last 2009 elections he contested from newly floated Praja Rajyam Party of Chiranjeevi and finished second losing to MIM’s Virasat Rasool Khan by a margin of just 6,799 votes.

But losing election didn’t deter Feroz Khan a bit from Nampally. Locals said while Virasat Rasool Khan just disappeared after winning the elections, Feroz Khan was active and easily accessible for firefighting their problems even after losing the elections.

Feroz Khan feels pompous and claims to have now made his name a political brand in Nampally, the name he says has its own vote bank, “In Nampally if it is Feroz Khan then MIM is zero, if it is not Feroz Khan then they are winning.”

In 2009 after losing to MIM Feroz Khan said he went into examination of reason for defeat. “There I found that though I was a good leader but I was never an alternative against MIM. So then I started my work, my own welfare schemes,” he told TCN.

A real estate baron, he started to spent crores from his own pocket to emerge as an unconventional politician, “I operated 5 water tanks in Nampally area to supply water in every house, every Mandir or Mosque which cost 1 core for a year. I distributed 100 computers and sewing machines to Muslim girls, given free medicine to 10,000 people all this cost 2 crore every year. I’ll show you the proof,” he boosted.

Showing a booklet which has every detail of work done by him in Nampally recorded in last five years, he says while turning the pages of his achievements booklet, “All this is ‘Allah ki Raah mein (In Allah’s path)’ no politics in it.”


Feroz Khan is a brand, who loves Modi, claims Sangh Parivar support to defeat MIM

While some other politicians start their campaign after getting a ticket Mr. Khan claim to have started his battle for 2014 from the day he lost. “In 2009 16th May I lost the election, I came to this office on 17th May 2009 in this 5 years I didn’t take a single holiday. The night when I lost the election I told my wife that a leader will not care about victory or defeat, 30,000 people voted for me I just can’t break their trust.”

The incumbent Majlis is facing a huge task of retaining back Nampally, party has replaced their sitting MLA Virasat Rasool Khan to pacify the growing resentment against the party. But his choice of candidate, former Deputy Mayor Jaffer Hussain Mehraj has opened up another Pandora-box, where different factions of MIM led by local leader Yaser Arafat and Mayor Majjid Hussain seemed not quite happy with his candidature.

Asaduddin Owaisi and Akbaruddin Owaisi have made dozens of appearance to campaign for their candidate, the main election slogan in Nampally is to defeat TDP-BJP alliance, the ‘Modi agent’ as they call Feroz Khan.

Mr. Feroz Khan is ironically enjoying the support of Mr. Zahid Ali Khan Siasat Urdu daily Editor who resigned recently from the TDP over BJP’s unholy alliance.

While all the other Muslim leaders of TDP were quitting the party en masse in protest of BJP alliance, Feroz Khan jumped into alliance bandwagon as it was the only major party which agreed to give him an election ticket to fight against MIM.

Many political observers in Hyderabad believes that Feroz Khan has committed a political suicide by joining in TDP-BJP alliance fight in Muslim dominated Nampally, but the ‘development man’ of Hyderabad who must have given a lead to Narendra Modi on using the term development in his speeches has some shrewd political calculations. Nampally has 2,64,384 electorate out of which there are 1,34,264 Muslim voters. Apart from getting his fan following Muslim votes he is hopeful and counting on ‘Modi wave’ for getting Hindu community votes.


Feroz Khan is a brand, who loves Modi, claims Sangh Parivar support to defeat MIM

Feroz Khan has also full heartedly supported Narendra Modi as next prime minister of India, praising him as a ‘development man’ like him.

When TCN asked the reason for so many praises for controversial communal figure like Modi, he replied, “Because I am an Indian so prosperity and development of my country is priority No.1, no party is bigger than the country and I am a patriotic,” he told TCN. Shooting his crafty style of dialogue he said, “My name is Feroz Khan and I have a soul of Bhagat Singh, I am helpless.”

So at this point ‘patriotic’ means you favor Narendra Modi? Feroz Khan replied in a fraction of second, “100% I favor him, because he is the best thing happened to our country, in 2014 who is the match next to Narendra Modi can I ask you? Nobody so you should put your money on Narendra Modi. Development of the country is important not the party.”

But will these supportive stand on Narendra Modi get down well with majority of Muslim electorate, Feroz Kahn replied, “It’s not about my comments, we have worked we have become an alternative in our Muslim community.”

He candidly agrees that no Muslim will vote for BJP, “After Ramjanmabhoomi and Godhra issue no single Muslim will vote for BJP. They might have praises for Narendra Modi but when translation of votes they will not vote for BJP.”

But apart from Muslims he said other communities will go with Naidu and Modi, “In Secunderabad Lok Sabha in TDP-BJP tie up out of seven assemblies they will win at least four,” while counting him as one of the prospective.

Feroz Khan’s enemy no.1 here is MIM about which he cannot start to speak without using terms like communal and fanatic. Speak a word about Majlis he will start venting out his anger and can address hours describing just how bad Majlis is, “They (MIM) are jokers” he starts, “They do dramas, they didn’t develop the old city for past 50 years. They talk only fanaticism, they talk only about religion. They don’t talk about development in their speeches; they talk about things which are 1,400 years back about Quran Haddis about Prophet,” he said positioning himself as a liberal Muslim.


Feroz Khan is a brand, who loves Modi, claims Sangh Parivar support to defeat MIM

TDP candidate in his outburst even added, “Living in communal and fanatic constituency like Nampally we keep India first. This fight is between Hindustan and a fanatic communal party.”

TDP candidate claimed it is indirectly MIM which made him important, “I am not superb but they made a batting pitch for me by their consisting failed performance, MIM mistakes made me more powerful.”

When the same inference was reversed to him that his joining of TDP could be his major mistake which MIM will in cash, he responded in negative. “Till now in my constituency religion was dominating but now my welfare schemes is dominating the politics of religion. People want credible and obedient leader. People saw that Feroz Khan lost but still delivered, they will imagine what if he wins what he will do,” he told TCN.

According to his political philosophy, “When you are out of power people will forgive you, but when you are in power and doesn’t deliver people will never forgive you.”

And on top of it he also claimed to have the backing and support of Sangh Parivar network in Nampally, “All communities here understood if they have to defeat MIM they have to support me. Last year BJP got 13,000 votes from Nampally. For last three years we are running a campaign here, we met the cadre of RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal in Mandirs and asked them only one thing; can your BJP candidate win from Nampally? No, but still you are casting 10 to 15,000 votes and MIM is getting benefited. I can sit in my home fight an election on MIM ticket and win easily, but I have booted that opportunity because they speak of religion and I say Hindustaan Zindabad,” he said.

Feroz Khan said with his emotional appeals he succeeded to motivate Sangh to support him, “I told them, MIM abuses your gods, even after that you do not have courage to fight with them, I even after being a Muslim is fighting your war. Has your conscience died that you will not support Feroz Khan.”

A frustrated Feroz Khan asked the Sangh cadres, “In which Ganesh pooja I didn’t participate in which Mata pooja or Ayyapa pooja I didn’t attended. You invited me for Bonal and Satyanarayan pooja I participated but I have regretted that when I go to Muslims, they say best Muslim is Asaduddin, when I come to Hindus they say best Hindu is BJP, where should I go, who is fighting your war, Hindustaan’s war,” he apparently told them.

“Then they (Sangh) have realized,” Feroz Khan claimed that whole BJP cadre has decided that MP is for Narendra Modi and MLA is for Feroz Khan. He then opens up his two fingers and showed, “Narendra Modi Hindustaan and Feroz Khan Hindustaan, Nampally will bring this two Hindustaanis, it is decided.”

On being so candid about everything he said, “Because life has come only once and I want to speak only truth where ever I am. I will talk like this even after winning or even after becoming a minister. If my boss doesn’t like it I will quit that party and join a new one. I have my own cadre and lot of people who love me, and they love me because I am like this. If I change my attitude my charisma is gone,” here also he said he is helpless.


Feroz Khan is a brand, who loves Modi, claims Sangh Parivar support to defeat MIM

“The passion like madness is require to fight elections here,” which he said is a tool of survival in Hyderabad Muslim politics.

But the base of Muslim politics in Hyderabad has always remain on negative voting against BJP, Feroz Khan in what he called his ‘passion’ has taken a serious political gamble which could go in either two opposite extreme levels.

To neutralize the Modi effect which he knew will cost him Muslim votes, Feroz Khan in cunning political move just a day before campaigning have to be ended swear by the Quran in a Public meeting in Muslim dominated Muradnagar assuring Muslims that he is not an agent of Narendra Modi or least has anything to do with him.

On 30th April Feroz Khan said Nampally will decide if MIM’s religious zeal will win or Feroz Khan’s message of love, but in reality Nampally will not just witness a fight between Feroz Khan and MIM but will be a testing ground for new Muslim agenda, will it be a positive vote for candidates performance or a negative vote to stop BJP at any cost.

LOK SABHA ELECTIONS 2014