Congress leading the change in Old City: Shabbir Ali

Hyderabad, Jan 20 (INN): Leader of Opposition in Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir has accused the MIM leadership of deliberately neglecting the backwardness in the Old City of Hyderabad.

Addressing a series of corner meetings in Doodh Bowli, Ghansi Bazar, Pathergatti and Puranapul divisions here on Wednesday, Shabbir Ali said despite having the flexible policy of aligning with the party-in-power, the MIM leadership never bothered about resolving the problems being faced by the people in the Old City. "MIM leaders have turned into millionaires during the last few decades. But the people who voted them to power are still poor with most of them working as vendors, auto drivers or daily wages earners," he said.

Shabbir Ali said MIM leaders objected to every move which was aimed at development of Old City. "Right from expansion of roads to Metro Rail in the Old City, MIM objected to every developmental project. They never wanted economic prosperity of people living in this part of the city. Government schools and colleges were systematically closed. Urdu schools were also neglected and closed. All public hospitals, including famous Charminar Hospital, were put to neglect. They even failed to regularise the services of Mecca Masjid employees and the staff does not even get their salaries on time. They wanted every hand in the Old City to move with a begging bowl. The concept of accountability never existed and they used force to suppress any kind of criticism or opposition," he said. However, he said that the Congress party's entry has triggered a new wave of change in Old City.

The Congress leader listed out various measures taken by the previous Congress Government for the development of Muslim community. He said 4% Muslim reservation has benefitted nearly 10 lakh socially and economically backward Muslims. Thousands of students benefitted from the scholarship and Fee Reimbursement schemes. He said that the Congress Government supported modernisation of Madarsas and also distributed computers. He slammed the TRS Government for not honouring the promise of 12% Muslim reservation. He said except for making fake promises, the TRS Government did not nothing concrete for the Muslim community.

Shabbir Ali appealed to the people to support and strengthen the Congress party across the country. He said only Congress was capable of fighting the rising tide of communalism and intolerance in the country. He said it was intolerance and fundamentalism that drove Rohit Vemula, a Dalit scholar to suicide in University of Hyderabad. He said that the BJP Government at the Centre was openly promoting hatred. Citing an instance, he said one of the accused in Ajmer bomb blast case was invited as Chief Guest in a Gujarat University. While distorting history, Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Godse is being projected as a hero. He saluted those who are fighting against this growing intolerance. He said poets, authors and other eminent personalities including Ashok Vajpeyi, Nayantara Sehgal, etc., have returned their awards to protest against the government's failure to stop rising intolerance in the country.

The Congress rally and street corner meetings were attended by thousands of people. Unprecedented crowd was witnessed at several places, especially in areas around Charminar.

Congress candidates Meraj Mohammed (Doodh Bowli), Mohammed Ghouse (Purana Pul), Mohd Sohail (Shalibanda) and other leaders including GHCC Minorities Department chairman Shaik Abdullah Sohail, Telangana Youth Congress president Anil Kumar Yadav, GHCC General Secretary Syed Nizamuddin and other senior leaders addressed the meetings. They were given warm reception by the local residents and garlanded them at several places. The rally went on for almost seven hours passing through lanes and by-lanes of the Old City.