Congress Sees Match-Fixing But Sure Of Warangal Win

The Leader of the Opposition in the Telangana Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir alleged "match-fixing" by the TRS and the TDP-BJP combine in the upcoming election for the Warangal Lok Sabha set, but asserted that Congress candidate Sarve Satyanarayana would yet win the Warangal by-election with a thumping majority.

Addressing the media at Gandhi Bhavan on Friday, Shabbir Ali said that the Warangal voters had understood the secret nexus between the TDP-BJP combine and the TRS.

He said that during the peak of the campaigning for the Warangal by-poll, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu had a secret meeting with Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao at the latter's farmhouse. Similarly, KCR attended Amaravathi's foundation-stone laying ceremony and remained silent over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks over the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. KCR also did not react to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu thanking the Centre for merging seven mandals of Khammam into AP.

He further alleged that the trio (both the CMs and Venkaiah Naidu) had agreed to hush up the Revanth Reddy Note-For-Vote and phone-tapping cases.

The Congress leader also slammed Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali's recent statement questioning his (Shabbir Ali's) contribution to the Muslim community.

He retorted, "The Minorities Welfare Department was created by me in 1993 during the Congress regime. Nearly one million poor Muslim families have benefited from the 4% reservation in jobs and education since 2004, and the entire credit goes to the Congress party. Lakhs of other poor Muslims have benefited from various schemes implemented during the Congress regime."

Reacting to Mahmood Ali's allegations that he had squandered Wakf properties, Shabbir Ali furnished the complete list of lands allotted to nine different companies like Infosys, MANUU, Wipro, ISB etc. at Manikonda village, and said that all the allotments were done from 18-12-2000 to 21-11-2003 during the TDP regime. Similarly, the APIIC had allotted land to Lanco Infratech on 17-08-2005 through international competitive bidding. Mohammed Fareeduddin was then the minister for Wakfs, and at present he was with the TRS.

"I had neither the revenue nor the Wakf portfolios during the period. It was only in April 2007 that I was made in-charge for minorities welfare in addition to the I&PR and energy portfolios," he said.

Shabbir Ali said the Deputy CM's allegations were baseless. He further condemned Mahmood Ali for alleging that the former's son was a director in Lanco. Furnishing the list of directors of Lanco Infratech, Lanco Group and Lanco Hills, he said that his son's name did not figure in the list of directors in any of these companies.

He asked Mahmood Ali to either prove the allegations within 24 hours or tender an apology for making baseless allegations.