By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net
New Delhi: UPA’s candidate for the post of President, Pranab Mukherjee yesterday addressed group of congress M.L.A’s, M.Ps and M.L.Cs in jubilee hall and sought their support. A.P has the highest number of congress elected representatives in the whole country- 32 M.P.s from the state.
Mr. Mukherjee in his address to congress leaders said that they should support him ‘whole heartedly’. He appealed to the undecided party’s (read TDP and YSR congress) to extend support for his candidature and assured them that he will uphold the integrity of the post of President.
But Ghulam Nabi Azad union health minister and in-charge of state congress was annoyed on knowing that MIM and CPI(M) who had already extended informal support to Pranab Mukherjee’s candidature was not invited in this special meeting.
Mr. Azad then gave a call to MIM chief Asaduddin owaisi who was away from Hyderabad in Adilabad District and reportedly apologized for the mistake of the State Congress. Mr. Owaisi then deputed his party’s M.L.As to meet Mr. Mukherjee. A delegation of, five MIM M.L.A’s led by party’s general secretary and M.L.A from Charminar constituency Mr. Ahmed Pasha Quadri met Mr. Pranab Mukherjee at Taj Krishna where he was staying and assured him their MIM’s full support to his candidature. Mr. Mukherjee appreciated MIM delegation for their support and thanked them for meeting him on such a short notice.
Ghulam Nabi Azad also called CPI(M) state general secretary B.V.Raghavulu to meet Mr. Mukherjee but nobody from CPI(M) tuned up to meet him.
Now at this juncture MIM is the closest ally of congress in the state. It can be recalled that on 19 th June Mr. Assaduddin Owaisi met Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy chief of YSR Congress in jail and urged him to support UPA’s candidature of Mr. Mukherjee and not to ally with the ‘right wing’ parties. MIM chief at that time played the role of interlocutor between the Congress and YSR Congress to ensure the latter’s 18 M.L.A’s and 2 M.P’s support for the formers candidature.