By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Congress Muslim leaders strongly feel neglected by the state party leadership as well as the government and they have now showing dissent against the party. Senior congress leader and union minister Mr. Valayar Ravi who was recently sent by Congress president Sonia Gandhi as an emissary for the party in the state got a huge number of complaints by the aggrieved Muslim Congress leaders.
Former minority affairs minister Mohd Fareeduddin and former electricity minister Mohd Ali Shabir complained to Mr. Ravi about the attitude of Congress leadership of the state against Muslims. They said ‘Muslims are with Congress, but Congress is not with Muslims’. They warned him if the present attitudes of the party against its Muslim leaders continue, then there is a possibility of Muslims getting alienated from the party.
They told Ravi that Muslim cadre and Muslim leaders of the party are not getting proper representation in the party. They grumble that party is not providing proper representation to the Muslims while allotting tickets for elections. They said that Muslims vote for Congress candidate irrespective of his religion, but when a Muslim candidate contests on Congress ticket, he doesn’t get proper support from the party cadre, and in some cases some Congress leaders conspire to defeat that Muslim candidate.
Mr. Fareeduddin gave his own example. He was denied ticket from his stronghold Zaheerabad with huge Muslim population and given ticket to contest from Amberpet constituency where an incumbent was a BJP MLA. The non-Muslim who contested from Zaheerabad won by Muslim support to the party, but he lost from Amberepet because the non-Muslim cadre of the party didn’t support him and even some Congress leaders conspired to defeat him.
They also protested against the party’s decision of not allotting a ticket to a Muslim candidate in the recent Raya Sabha election. Two Muslim Rajya Sabha MPs retired this year, but party didn’t give ticket to any Muslim to fill that gap. They said anti-Muslim decision of the state leadership like this recent one, is resulting in growing hatred against the party in the Muslim community.
Later Mr Servae Satyanarayana, senior Congress leader and member of parliament with newly elected MLC Farooq Hussain met Mr. Vallayar Ravi and shared the same concern of other Muslim Congress leaders. Mr. Satyanarayan told Mr. Ravi that Congress state government has failed in protecting wakf land, and even some MPs from the party encroached it, this created a negative picture of the party in the minds of Muslims.
He said, it is important for the party to win back the confidence of the Muslims as the number of Muslim voters in the state is above 1 crore. He said party should at least allot 18 MLA tickets and 2 MP tickets to the Muslim community. And a representation to the Telangana Muslim should be given in the current cabinet, as there is only one Muslim minister holding minority affairs portfolio who hails from Rayalseema region.
Also Secretary Pradesh Congress Syed Yusuf Hashmi, with other leaders of Pradesh Congress minorities department met Ravi. They also informed him about the injustices and discrimination facing by the Muslim cadre and Muslim leaders of the party.
Later hearing the same sort of grievances from every Muslim Congress leader, Mr. Ravi assured them of proper representation in the party. He even promised that he will recommend to state Congress chief to allot at least three tickets to the Muslims in the coming 18 assembly seats by-polls.
Mr. Ravi acknowledged that Muslims are the backbone of the Congress in the state, and assured that party is committed for inclusive development of Muslims.