Congress Stages Dharna Urging Boycott Of CM's Iftar Party

The Congress on Wednesday held a massive dharna in Hyderabad reiterating its call for a boycott of the Iftar party to be hosted by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, and demanded that the TRS government provide jobs and loans to the Muslims instead of organizing token parties.

Led by Hyderabad City Congress Committee (HCCC) Minorities Department Chairman Sameer Waliullah, Congress senior leaders including TPCC spokesperson Syed Nizamuddin and others held the dharna at Masab Tank on Wednesday after the Zohar prayers.

"This is perhaps the first time in history that Muslims are holding a protest during the holy month of Ramzan. This is not politics. This is a fight for justice. We are being denied jobs and loans by the TRS Government. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is trying to lure the poor Muslims with a pack of biryani and khajoor once a year. This has been going on for the last eight years, and now the community had gotten tired of such cheap tactics," Waliullah said while speaking to media persons near Masab Tank where the dharna was held.

Waliullah claimed that the previous Congress government had ensured the educational, economic and political empowerment of poor Muslims through the 4% reservation and other measures. However, KCR, who came to power on the promise of giving 12% reservations to Muslims, had cheated the community on multiple fronts, and did not do anything for the growth of Muslims but had created a hype about him being a secular and fair leader.

"The annual Iftar party is a major tool used by KCR to cheat the Muslims. This event has nothing to do with Iftar, which is an auspicious occasion to break the Roza. KCR and his Deputy Home Minister Mahmood Ali are trying to pollute the spirit of Ramzan by using occasions like Iftar to humiliate the entire community. By offering a meal and a Ramzan kit worth Rs 200 once a year, they are giving the wrong message that Muslims don't need jobs or loans for self-employment. The sherwani-biryani combo will not impress the minorities any more. We want jobs, loans and the promised unemployment allowance of Rs 3,016," he said.

Waliullah claimed that the boycott call had received a tremendous response, and that many religious and social organisations and leaders had supported it.

Speaking to media persons on the occasion, TPCC spokesperson Syed Nizamuddin accused the TRS government of maligning the image of the Muslims of Telangana.

"Instead of providing education, jobs, loans and other opportunities, the TRS government is humiliating the poor Muslims every year by giving them a gift pack of about Rs. 200. The TRS government is simply treating the Muslims as beggars and neglecting their needs. This same government demolished mosques in the State Secretariat. And almost all institutions related to the minority welfare are headless for many years, and the KCR government is showing no signs of urgency in attending to them," he claimed.

During the dharna, the Congress activists were holding a long banner with the hashtag #BoycottKCRIftarParty. The slogans on the other placards read "Mr. KCR, where is 12% Muslim reservation?", "TRS implementing RSS agenda", "KCR is Modi agent" and "Poor Muslims need jobs & loans, not alms" among others.

Waliullah said that the Congress would continue its protest demanding boycott of KCR's Iftar party, although he did not specify whether Congress activists would stage a protest near the Iftar party's venue.