MIM Exploiting Old City Voters: Hyderabad Congress

Hyderabad DCC president Sameer Waliullah today accused the MIM of exploiting the poor people of the Old City of Hyderabad for decades by inciting religious feelings and diverting attention from the party's failures.

He alleged that the MIM leaders had created an atmosphere wherein people were asked to vote for them without asking any questions about their performance. Consequently, the majority in the Old City continue to struggle with poverty. In contrast, the Owaisi brothers had accumulated huge wealth, he claimed.

Waliullah said that MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi was recycling old strategies to confront the Congress, which was envisioning a positive change after the upcoming Assembly elections. He described Owaisi as a covert ally of the BJP, and that Owaisi had challenged Rahul Gandhi to contest the Lok Sabha election from Hyderabad to appease Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Waliullah also claimed that the world recognized Rahul Gandhi's battles against the BJP, and that the BJP's affiliates were therefore constantly trying to defame him.

Waliullah challenged Owaisi's appeal for Muslim votes for the BRS, questioning the rationale of supporting a party that had failed to deliver on its promises to the Muslim community. Pointing out that the MIM had been contesting Assembly elections from the Old City since 1969 and had held the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat since 1984, he also challenged Owaisi to explain why the Old City remained backward despite his decades-long rule. He added that the people of the Old City had always voted for the MIM even in the municipal elections, but had only been met with disappointment.

Waliullah also said that the MIM had supported the Telugu Desam Party when it was in power, then joined the UPA when the Congress came to power in 2004, and "sat in the lap" of the TRS when it came to power in 2014. He asked why the MIM, which had had such friendly relations with all the ruling parties, had not been able to bring development to the Old City.

Citing various reports, Waliullah said, "23% of Hyderabadi people are poor; almost 13% of the population of the Old City falls in the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category; 16% of children in Hyderabad did not attend schools due to poverty; only 6.1% of Muslims living in the slums of Hyderabad have salaried jobs; the areas of the houses of nearly 84% of Muslims are less than 100 sq ft; and the Old City has the highest population of unemployed people in the whole of Telangana."

He emphasized the urgent need for comprehensive solutions and effective interventions, which he claimed could be brought only if the Congress came to power in Telangana.