By Mohammed Siddique, TwoCircles.net
Hyderabad: During the last couple of years of his life Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi, the president of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) faced a bitter campaign and no hold attacks by his opponents from with in the Muslim community in Andhra Pradesh. Unlike the past, when political opponents had ran campaigns against him, this time couple of leading Urdu newspapers were in the forefront of the attacks targeting the MIM and the Owaisi family.
Two large circulated Urdu dailies published from Hyderabad, “Siasat” and “Munsif” had not only imposed a blackout on any news report related to the MIM and its activities and statements of its leaders but they carried a systematic campaign against the party by publishing negative stories against them. They targeted Salahuddin Owaisi and his sons with the charges of amassing huge wealth, turning the MIM in to a family concern, using the network of professional colleges including engineering and medical colleges to make money and failing to address the issues and problems of Hyderabad and Muslim community. What was worse that these papers did not give any opportunity to the MIM leadership to counter these allegations and clarify their position by refusing to publish their statements.
While one newspaper would carry regular caricatures lampooning Owaisi and his sons, the other would run series of stories with allegations. When Zahed Ali Khan, the editor-owner of Siasat started promoting the left parties in the old city, the entire campaign against MIM was seen by the people at large as politically motivated. Khan Lateef Khan, a US based NRI and owner of Munsif was also grinding his own axe against the Owaisis.
But now the death of the MIM President Salahuddin Owaisi seems to have left these opponents of MIM thoroughly confused. First the illness of the elderly politicians over the last fortnight and now the death has forced both the Urdu newspapers to abruptly end their boycott and publish news about his health condition.
Now eating their earlier unkind words against Owaisi, both the papers have carried the news of his death with banner headlines. Munsif published the report with 8 column headline on the front page and hailed Owaisi saying, “Sun which shone on the horizon of national politics for last fifty years had set”. It also devoted almost entire front page to the reports on his death.
“Siasat” also carried the report of Owaisi’s death on the front page albeit with four column headline in the first lead and called his death a tragedy.
The editors of both the newspapers issued statements condoling Owaisi’s death. Lateef Mohammed Khan described himself as an old friend of Owaisi said that his death had created a vacuum in Muslim leadership. “His death is a big loss for minorities specially the Muslims”, he said.
“He is one of the few political stalwarts in this country who represented a constituency in Parliament for six terms. He was always victorious in his political life and became the most renowned Muslim political leader not only in India but abroad”, Lateef Khan said.
“His death is irreparable loss to the cause of Muslims”, he added.
Zahid Ali Khan of “Siasat” said that an era had come to an end with the death of Owaisi. “He was a political statesman who had the ability to take decisions in accordance with the times and the circumstances. He was a politician with a far sight and the best of abilities”.
Ironically while the bitter political opponents like left parties leaders attended Owaisi’s funeral both Zahid Ali Khan and Lateef Mohammed Khan stayed away from it. Similarly Syed Viqaruddin, the editor of another anti MIM newspaper Rahnuma-e-Deccan also did not attend the funeral.
One result of the highly divisive and bitter campaign by the Urdu newspaper against the MIM was that it forced the Owaisi family to launch its own Urdu daily “Etemaad” four years ago. It is edited by Burhanuddin Owaisi, the youngest son of Salahuddin Owaisi.
The people at large are now asking that when these Urdu dailies saw nothing but bad in MIM and Owaisi family all these years creating confusion and differences among the Muslims in Hyderabad, how come they were seeing so much good in Owaisi’s personality and politics now.