Top Muslim groups announce support for T-Congress

Hyderabad, April 12 : After 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 Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen last year over the issue of Bhagyalaxmi Temple issue, on Saturday announced that it would support the Congress candidates in 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 close relationship with Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, had come out in open in favour of Congress in a meeting held at Madina Education Centre at Nampally.

They submitted a list of demands for 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 organisation who announced their support to the Congress were ready to buy the TRS promise of giving 12 per cent reservation to Muslims in Telangana. They simply dismissed the promise describing it as non-practical.

Interestingly, none of the demands made by these Muslim organisations figured in the Congress party’s manifesto released on Saturday although 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