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Home » Andhra Pradesh » Telangana Congress may lose Muslim, BC support
Telangana Congress may lose Muslim, BC support

Telangana Congress may lose Muslim, BC support

Hyderabad, June 6: The Congress party might lose its base among the Muslims and Backward Classes in Telangana State.

The recent “Cash for Post” controversy involving Leader of the Opposition in Legislative Council Dharampuri Srinivas took a caste and community turn with the Muslim and BC leaders viewing it as an attempt to establish the dominance of one specific BC caste in the Telangana Congress. During the meeting of Congress MLCs, several leaders strongly supported the candidature of former minister Mohammad Ali Shabbir as party’s floor leader in Legislative Council. However, Srinivas captured the post despite facing allegations of bribing the MLCs to vote in his favour. Many MLCs were of the view that the Congress party should elevate a Muslim leader to counter the Telangana Rashtra Samithi which gave the post of Deputy Chief Minister to a Muslim leader Mahmood Ali. However, the Congress High Command ignored their contention.

As per the Six Point Formula, the Deputy Chief Minister’s post should have been given to a Muslim leader. However, the Congress party did not gave prominent political posts to Muslim leaders during its rule spread over 50 years. In contrast, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao nominated Mahmood Ali as the Deputy CM in less than three hours after taking oath. Further, he allocated the second most important portfolio of Revenue to Mahmood Ali. These moves have certainly strengthened the TRS standing among the Muslims in Telangana.

The forcible denial of post of Leader of the Opposition in Council to Shabbir Ali has angered the Muslim leaders of Congress party with few of them seriously considering their resignations. “It was a golden opportunity for the Congress to revive its ties with the Muslim community. Shabbir Ali’s elevation to the top post would have helped the Congress in effectively countering the TRS. However, by not promoting Shabbir Ali, the Congress gave clear message that it is no more interested in sailing with the Muslims of Telangana,” a senior leader said.

“As a two-time minister, Shabbir Ali could have revived the Congress party in Telangana by taking the minorities along. The entire community acknowledges his contribution in getting 4 per cent reservation for Muslims in the State. He, along with the then Chief Minister Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy, was instrumental in implementing the Congress party’s major promise of giving reservation. His promotion would have helped the Congress party in winning back the confidence of Muslims, who constitute more than 15 per cent of the total population in Telangana,” another leader said.

When the Congress party can ignore a senior leader like Shabbir Ali, then it will give no importance to workers like us who began our political careers recently, a young Congress worker said adding that he was exploring the option of joining the TRS which gave the post of Deputy CM to a Muslim.

A majority of BC leaders in the Telangana Congress too are unhappy with the party. They feel that the party is promoting just one BC community – Munnuru Kapu, who constitute just 4.5% of the total population in Telangana. The PCC chief post was given to Munnuru Kapu leaders for five times. They were V Hanumantha Rao, D Srinivas, K Keshava Rao, Botsa Satyanarayana and the present Telangana PCC chief Ponnala Lakshmaiah. The Congress leaders representing this BC Caste are presently holding three important posts. Besides PCC chief and Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council, the Deputy Chairman of Council – Neti Vidyasagar Rao is also from Munnuru Kapu community.

The Goud community too is unhappy with the Telangana Congress as it has simply ignored the publicly lodged complaint of senior MLC Rajalingam. “Digvijay Singh outrightly dismissed Rajalingam’s allegations just because he does not belong to the same caste as of Srinivas. This is not only an insult for Rajalingam but for the entire community that he represents. If the Congress party wants only one BC caste, then it should ask all other leaders to quit the party,” a Congress leader said.

The senior leaders feel that the Congress High Command should take immediate steps to restore the confidence of Muslims and BCs. Else, these communities, especially the minorities might embrace the TRS by dumping the Congress party.

D Srinivas telangana congress

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