By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
Hyderabad: It was in 1962 when Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) had made debut entry in the Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh with 26-year-old Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi winning the Pathergatti constituency by defeating a state cabinet minister. MIM celebrated the 50 years of its presence in the state assembly on Tuesday.
Brief history of MIM
In the aftermath of the police action the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen of Nizam’s period was banned and its entire cadre was arrested or killed by the Indian army. It was the painstaking efforts of Wahiduddin Owaisi that the party was reorganized. Even after the reorganization, Muslims used to fear even speaking the name of the party. But sooner under the leadership of Salahuddin Owaisi the party emerged with new strategy and ideology to gain the lost ground.
Salahuddin Owaisi
The party shrugged off the fear of the Muslims and contested municipal elections in 1959, and won 25 municipal seats, but it was the 1962 state assembly elections which gave new way to the Muslim politics in Hyderabad.
In 1962 the party’s stalwart late Salahuddin Owaisi was elected from the Pathergatti constituency by defeating Masoma Begum who was a minister in the cabinet of chief minister Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy with a margin of 5141 votes. And on 20th march 1962 for the first time MIM entered in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. On 22nd March, 26-year-old Salahuddin Owaisi gave his first speech on the floor of the house on the motion of thanks for Governor, Bhimsen Sachar’s address.
Since 1962 it was no looking back for the party. For continuous 50 years the party made its strong presence felt in the house even with the handful of members. In 1967 elections MIM won 3 assembly seats — Pathergatti, Yakutpura, and Sitarampur. In that election the party made a point by defeating the then home minister Mir Ahmed Ali with 7,500 votes. The major victory of the party was in 1984 when it won Hyderabad parliamentary seat which it is holding still now. Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi was the floor leader of the party in the state assembly from 1962 to 1984.
Asaduddin Owaisi (4th from left) with MIM MLAs of Andhra assembly
Asaduddin Owaisi
The party received a major setback in the year 1994 when it got split by rebel faction, it even lost two assembly seats, but soon the rebel factor died out and his son Asaduddin Owaisi became the party’s floor leader in the assembly and he held that position from 1994 to 2004. Asaduddin Owaisi became Member of Parliament in 2004. His father Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi passed away in 2008.
Akbaruddin Owaisi
When Asaduddin Owaisi became MP, his younger brother Akbaruddin Owaisi took the charge of MIM floor leader in the state assembly in 2004 and he has since been holding the position.
The party of one MLA in 1962 has risen to seven MLAs and two MLCs and playing a crucial role in the politics of Deccan region. Besides, at present MIM rules the Greater Hyderabad municipal corporation by wining the Mayor’s post.
Akbaruddin Owaisi, MIM Floor Leader of Andhra assembly, interacting with chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy
Marking the celebration of its golden jubilee, the party hosted luncheon in the Assembly lobby which was attended by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar, Leader of the Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Speaker Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Leader of Opposition in the Council Dadi Veerabhadra Rao, Lok Satta leader Dr Jayaprakash Narayan, senior TDP leader T Devender Goud, TRS MLA KT Rama Rao, members of Congress, Telugu Desam, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, CPI and CPI-M, Legislature Secretary Raja Sadaram and other Legislature officials. Owisi brothers – Asaduddin and Akbaruddin – along with MIM MLAs, MLCs and other leaders were the host.