Top Muslim Groups' Support For Telangana Congress

After that of the Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Hind, the Telangana Congress leaders on Saturday managed to get support of a few more Muslim groups for the ensuing Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

The Muslim United Forum, an umbrella organsation of many prominent Muslim organisations in Hyderabad, announced its support for the Congress party.

The Forum, which had severed its ties with the Congress party along with those with the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen last year over the issue of the Bhagyalaxmi Temple issue, on Saturday announced that it would support the Congress candidates in the forthcoming elections.

Most of the constituents including Tameer-e-Millat president Moualana Abdul Raheem Qureshi, Majlis-e-Ulema Deccan president Moulana Qubool Pasha Shattiri, Jamia Nizamia rector Moulana Akbar Nizamuddin, Moulana Hussamuddin Jaffer Pasha and others, who enjoy a close relationship with the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, came out openly in favour of the Congress in a meeting held at the Madina Education Centre at Nampally.

They submitted a list of demands of the minorities to Telangana Pradesh Congress President Ponnala Lakshmaiah, and the latter agreed to implement all the demands.

A few hours later, another group of representatives of Muslim organisations led by Tahreek Muslim Shabban president Mohd Mushtaq Mallik announced their support to the Congress party. They too submitted a charter of demands seeking sops for the minorities in Telangana. These demands too were accepted by Congress leader Mohammad Ali Shabbir who attended the event at a private function hall.

Mushtaq Mallik claimed that their support was issue-based and asked the Congress to exhibit sincerity in implementing the demands raised by them.

By roping in major Muslim groups, the Congress has tried to isolate the Telangana Rashtra Samithi. None of the organisations who announced their support to the Congress were ready to buy the TRS promise of giving 12% reservation to Muslims in Telangana. They simply dismissed the promise describing it as infeasible.

Interestingly, none of the demands made by these Muslim organisations figured in the Congress party's manifesto released on Saturday, though the party made some identical announcements. However, Shabbir Ali said that the Telangana Congress would issue a Supplementary Manifesto to incorporate all the demands. (INN)