Blood Donation Drives For Shabbir Ali's Birthday

To mark the occasion of Congress leader and former minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir's 65th birthday, the leader's followers today organised blood donation camps and distributed food, fruits, milk and blankets among the poor in the Kamareddy, Yellareddy, Banswada, Machareddy, Domukonda, Bibipet and Bhiknoor areas.

In view of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Shabbir Ali had decided to celebrate his birthday in a simple manner without cutting a cake.

However, the occasion was still observed with much fanfare by his followers - apart from organising food distribution programs and blood donation camps, they also distributed fruits to the patients at the government hospitals in the Kamareddy, Banswada and Yellareddy constituencies. In Kamareddy, a total of 65 Congress workers donated their blood to mark the birthday.

Many of his followers also erected banners, hoardings and cut-outs of the leader at prime locations across the state.

Senior leaders of the Congress, including AICC In-charge Manickam Tagore, AICC Secretaries Bose Raju and R Srinivasan, TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka, ex-TPCC head Ponnala Lakshmaiah, and Working President A Revanth Reddy extended their wishes to Shabbir Ali as well.

Various other eminent personalities including industrialists, businessmen, academicians and journalists also greeted him over the phone.

Earlier in the day, the former minister interacted with a group of students at his residence in Kamareddy. Many of the students who visited him were those who had benefitted from the 4% Muslim quota.

Speaking to the media on the occasion, Shabbir Ali thanked everyone for their wishes, and said that he was inspired by AICC President Sonia Gandhi, who celebrated her birthday on 9th December in a simple manner, to also forego any ostentatious celebrations for his own.

"I am thankful to God for whatever he has given to me so far, and am happy to be celebrating this occasion at my birthplace with my family and the people of Kamareddy. The people are the ones who have given me an identity. Whatever I have become today is because of them, and I will remain indebted to them for the love and support they have given me throughout my life and political career," he said.

The Congress leader also vowed that he would continue to work for the welfare of all sections of society in Telangana for the rest of his life.