Party feels Muslims cannot win in ‘present environment’
By Mohd Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
Hyderabad: Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) supremo K. Chandrashekar Rao has finally pricked the balloon which he has been filling with dreams and promises to Muslims of political empowerment for over a decade.
Muslim community who have been kept on cloud nine pampering with promises during Telangana statehood struggle has finally been brought down to the ground reality. Muslim candidates cannot win elections in the ‘present environment’, observed none other than KCR whose party TRS is expected to sweep elections in the region.
TRS cheif with Jamat-e-Islami leaders
This eye-opener from TRS came when a delegation of Muslim religious leaders representing districts of Telangana decided to meet KCR along with party minority cell president Mehmood Ali. This meeting came in the backdrop of party’s release of its first list of candidates where not a single Muslim found a place.
Even with a strong wave TRS leadership is cynical about chances of its Muslim candidates scoring a success. In a communal-polarized Telangana they feel fielding a Muslim candidate is not worth the risk.
Maulana Zahed from Warangal district who was also part of the delegation informed TCN about the discussions with KCR. “We were quite clear to KCR; we told him that we supported congress loyally for past 60 years but that party always ditched the community. Muslims will be saddened if TRS doesn’t stand on its words because we genuinely believed that your party was different than Congress,” Maulana narrated the initiation of discussion.
KCR sensing displeasure in the delegation started to reassert all the poll promises, scholarship to economically weak Muslim students, protection of wakf properties, first official language status to Urdu and 11% reservation for community. “He kept on speaking for at least one hour even gave a power point presentation of his ideas on community empowerment,” Maulana Zahed said.
After soothing delegation with sugar coated reaffirmations KCR drops the final bomb, “My party has done a private survey,” he said with serious gaze, “We found that communalism has engulfed rural Telangana. There is a huge Hindu-Muslim divide. At this juncture it’s not possible for Muslims to win and my party to provide large number of tickets to community.”
In the present circumstances TRS chief said he can allot only 2-3 tickets to Muslims in district assembly constituencies and in a balancing act he promised some more tickets from Hyderabad city, to which a member of delegation commented “You also know that TRS cannot win from city’s Muslim dominated seats. That is MIM’s bastion we already have them in our basket, we wanted proper representation in districts.”
KCR was quick to respond, “I will not just give tickets and forget like other parties does. Even though I might be giving only 2-3 tickets but I will make sure those Muslim candidates win at any cost.” KCR disclosed assembly segments of Khammam town in Khammam district and Bodhan in Nizamabad district that has been finalized for Muslim candidates of TRS.
TRS promise of political representation according to population ratio has scored lot of enthusiasm for the party in the community. The reason is not a single Muslim was able to register victory outside of Hyderabad in 2009 assembly and parliamentary elections in Telangana region.
Community which formed 13% of population in the newly crafted state expected a surge in their representation from rural districts riding on TRS wave. Presently in 119 Assembly seats in Telangana only 7 are represented by Muslims all of them from MIM elected from Hyderabad city alone. Out of 17 parliamentary seats only one again Hyderabad is represented by a Muslim.
TRS has earlier promised 15 assembly tickets and 2 parliament tickets for the Muslim community in 2014 elections. Till last minute little did community knew that KCR has chosen politics over promise.
TRS minority cell Chief Mehmood Ali speaking with TCN defended his party chief’s strategy, “It is to keep communal forces at bay. At this juncture if lot of tickets is to be given to Muslims, BJP will polarize the electorate to gain.”
Mr. Ali said although party has to drop its electoral representation promise due to strategic reasons but KCR has reiterated in the meeting that he is committed to appoint a Muslim as first Home Minister of Telangana.
Asking not to paint KCR as ‘hypocrite’ he continues to defend his boss, “If KCR is unable to keep this promise then he is ready to compensate for it. In lieu of legislative assembly he is ready to provide legislative council (state upper house) seats to Muslims equal to their population ration.” Mr. Ahmed Ali who himself is a MLC explained the party’s consolation plan.
KCR interracting with a local Muslim.
Mahbubnagar town assembly segment was the most heated issue in the meeting. In 2009 and 2011 TRS Muslim candidate Syed Ibrahim lost the seat with marginal votes. In 2011 by election Ibrahim lost to BJP candidate by just 1,897 votes. That by election has remained in news due to the stiff polarizing where BJP rhetoric even termed the election “India vs. Pakistan match.”
TRS this time is not ready to take any risk, and has decided to field Telangana Gazetted Officers Joint Action Committee leader Srinivas Goud as its candidate replacing Ibrahim. “Mahbubnagar is now an honor issue for our party,” told Ahmed Ali, “We want a winnable candidate from this seat.”
A heartbroken Syed Ibrahim has got assurance of compensation from TRS chief himself. And you guessed it right; he has been promised a legislative council seat.
In the open heart discussion K. Chandrashekar Rao has even gave a time period for Muslims to be able to contest from rural Telangana. ‘Wait for more five years,’ TRS chief said not because existing communalism will die down in coming years but as he believes the political calculations will change.
“In the next elections there will be delimitations of constituencies. Assembly seats will increase from 119 to at least 153. Urban towns where Muslim community in Telangana mostly resides will be the main benefiter,” explained KCR with a revived promise “TRS in 2019 election will make sure at least 35 Muslims gets elected to Assembly.”