National News
AIMIM’s undiminished sway over Hyderabad makes it irreplaceable in T’gana
Such has been the dominance of AIMIM in Hyderabad politics for over four decades that its stronghold remained immune to the political waves sweeping the state.
No matter which party was in power in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh, the support base of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) remained intact.
There has been no change after Telangana was carved out as a separate state in 2014. Despite the reservations the Asaduddin Owaisi-led party had over the division of Andhra Pradesh, the party adapted itself to the new political scenario dominated by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).
While maintaining its firm grip over the Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency and seven Muslim majority Assembly segments in the city, AIMIM backed TRS in the rest of the state both in 2014 and 2018 elections.
This friendship and the secular image of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao helped TRS secure the support of Muslim voters.
With a huge concentration of Muslim voters in state capital Hyderabad and some other districts, they are in a position to tilt the balance in nearly half of the 119 Assembly constituencies.
Muslim voters are believed to be between 35 and 60 per cent in 10 constituencies in Hyderabad and anywhere between 10 and 40 per cent in the 50 other constituencies spread across the rest of the state.
Except the eight Assembly constituencies where AIMIM candidates were in the fray, the party backed TRS in all the remaining constituencies.
While AIMIM’s political opponents accuse the party of pursuing communal politics, CM KCR on many occasions defended his friend and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi. He lauded the AIMIM chief for fighting for the Constitutional rights of Muslims in a democratic manner and even talked of using the services of Owaisi to forge a national alternative to both BJP and Congress.
BJP, which is going aggressive to capture power in Telangana, has been targeting KCR for his friendship with Owaisi and accusing the TRS leader of pursuing politics of appeasement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and other central leaders of BJP have slammed KCR for appeasement politics. Digging up the past, the state leadership of the saffron party has been making bitter attacks on AIMIM, calling it a party of �Razakars’.
�Razakars’ were the volunteers or supporters of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) who backed the Nizam who wanted to keep the state independent after India gained Independence in 1947.
Thirteen months after August 15, 1947, Hyderabad State acceded to the Indian Union following India’s military action codenamed �Operation Polo’.
MIM was founded 1927 to promote the socio-economic and educational development of Muslims. After �Operation Polo’ hastened the accession of Hyderabad State into the Indian Union in 1948, MIM was banned.
However, in 1958 it was revived with a new constitution by Moulana Abdul Wahid Owaisi, grandfather of Asaduddin Owaisi. A well-known lawyer in those days, Abdul Wahid Owaisi converted it into a political party to fight for the rights of the minorities as enshrined in the Indian Constitution.
“Those who wanted to go have gone. Those who love the country choose to remain here,” says Asaduddin Owaisi in response to BJP’s taunt of �Razakars’.
He dismisses allegations of pursuing communal politics and maintains that AIMIM believes in Indian Constitution and has been fighting for the Constitutional rights of minorities, Dalits and others.
AIMIM made its electoral debut in 1959, winning two municipal by-elections in Hyderabad. In 1960, it emerged as the main opposition party in Hyderabad.
Abdul Wahed Owaisi’s son Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi was among the party leaders elected to the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH).
The party underwent image makeover in the 1980s when Salahuddin Owaisi made three Hindu corporators of the party mayors of Hyderabad. Those were the days when Hyderabad used to witness frequent communal tensions.
From municipal wards in the old city of Hyderabad to two Lok Sabha seats in 2019, AIMIM has come a long way in its six-decade-long journey in Independent India.
More than three decades after first winning the Hyderabad seat, the party expanded itself in true sense in 2019 by wresting the Aurangabad seat in Maharashtra from the Shiv Sena.
A party confined to the old city of Hyderabad till a few years ago, AIMIM was a butt of ridicule by its rivals for calling itself an all-India party.
The party now has 10 MLAs — seven in Telangana, two in Maharashtra and one in Bihar. Its tally of MLAs was 14 till recently, but four MLAs in Bihar switched loyalties to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
While continuing its efforts to expand to various states, the AIMIM is treading cautiously to check BJP’s surge in Telangana.
In a tactical move aimed at stopping the BJP from politically exploiting emotive issues like September 17, AIMIM for the first time in its history has decided to celebrate the day this year as national integration day.
It was on September 17, 1948 that Hyderabad State was merged with the Indian Union. AIMIM always opposed celebrating the day on the ground that there is only one Independence Day for the entire country.
The BJP has been targeting TRS for not officially celebrating �Telangana Liberation Day’ due to pressure from Owaisi.
However, political analysts say that KCR may come under increasing attack from BJP for his friendship with AIMIM.
“KCR wants to herald a secular government in India by achieving a �BJP mukt Bharat’. If BJP is communal, how can MIM be secular? Bonhomie with Owaisis raises questions over secular politics ultimately helping BJP in majoritarian consolidation,” says professor K. Nageshwar.
Business
ED arrests real estate firm MD in PMLA case, accused sent to 14-day custody

New Delhi, Nov 15: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Ocean Seven Buildtech Pvt. Ltd. (OSBPL) Managing Director Swaraj Singh Yadav after conducting searches at nine locations across Delhi-NCR and other regions in a money-laundering probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, an agency statement said on Saturday.
The action stems from allegations that Yadav diverted and laundered funds collected from homebuyers across multiple projects, including those under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).
The searches on Thursday led to the recovery of Rs 86 lakh in cash, suspected to be proceeds of crime, along with incriminating documents and digital evidence.
According to the ED, Yadav orchestrated a large-scale diversion of homebuyer funds through fraudulent cancellation and resale of units at inflated prices, cash-based premiums collected outside banking channels, and misuse of escrow accounts.
He allegedly routed substantial sums into shell entities and concealed cash proceeds with relatives, the ED statement said.
Investigators also found a pattern of rapid liquidation of assets held personally and through company entities in Gurugram, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, which the agency believes was intended to secure illicit gains and evade legal scrutiny.
His wife and children have already relocated to the United States, the probe revealed.
The agency said Yadav operated a dual-payment mechanism in the resale of PMAY flats and even in the sale of parking spaces — routing only nominal amounts through banks while collecting the bulk in cash. These activities form part of a wider probe linked to multiple FIRs alleging cheating, forgery, and other predicate offences.
Following his arrest, Yadav was produced before the Court of ASJ-06 at Patiala House Courts on Friday, in compliance with Supreme Court directions.
After detailed submissions from both sides and a pass-over granted to allow him legal assistance, the court sent him to ED custody for 14 days, until November 28.
The agency has been directed to produce him before the court at 2 p.m. on the date of expiry of remand.
The ED said it is pursuing further investigation to trace, freeze, and attach assets acquired from the laundered funds, to ensure recovery and restitution to affected homebuyers.
Business
IndiGo to start flights from Navi Mumbai International Airport from Dec 25

Mumbai, Nov 15: Low-cost airline IndiGo on Saturday announced flight operations from the newly-opened Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) starting December 25, connecting the airport to 10 cities across the country.
IndiGo will connect the future-ready airport to 10 cities, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, North Goa (Mopa), Jaipur, Nagpur, Cochin, and Mangalore, the airline said in a statement.
The airline said it plans to expand operations at NMIA progressively by adding direct routes to more destinations in due course.
NMIA, the second airport in the Mumbai metropolitan area, is designed to complement Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and meet growing demand for air travel from India’s financial capital.
NMIA is expected to enhance regional connectivity and support economic development in western India due to its strategic location.
By enhancing regional connectivity and supporting economic development in western India, the launch of IndiGo’s operations will connect the airport to its vast domestic network of 95 airports across the country, it added.
The Navi Mumbai International Airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, as a major achievement in India’s economic development and “a symbol of Bharat’s aspirations”.
PM Modi said that Mumbai welcomed its second international airport, marking a significant milestone in its journey to becoming Asia’s premier connectivity hub. “Through this new airport, the farmers of Maharashtra will be able to connect with supermarkets in Europe and the Middle East as well,” he observed.
NMIA will ease congestion at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and significantly increase India’s aviation capacity.
The Navi Mumbai International Airport Private is designed to accommodate both domestic and international passengers, featuring state-of-the-art facilities. It includes a 3,700-metre runway capable of handling large commercial aircraft, modern passenger terminals, and advanced air traffic control systems.
National News
Extended hearty congratulations to CM Nitish Kumar: Chirag Paswan after Bihar poll results

New Delhi, Nov 15: After the announcement of the Bihar Assembly election results, Union Minister and LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan on Saturday met Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and congratulated him on the NDA’s sweeping mandate.
Paswan posted on X to mark the occasion, stating, “After the Bihar Assembly Election results today, met with the Honourable Chief Minister of Bihar Shri Nitish Kumar Ji and extended hearty congratulations and best wishes to him for the NDA’s resounding majority.”
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Chirag Paswan reaffirmed the solidarity and unity within the ruling alliance.
He said, “After meeting the Chief Minister, I came to personally congratulate him and extend my best wishes. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the NDA achieved a historic victory. As a representative of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), I met him to convey our congratulations and good wishes…”
Paswan’s remarks come at a time when the NDA has consolidated its position in Bihar with a powerful, near-landslide performance. Leaders across the alliance have hailed the results as a mandate for stability and continuity.
Adding to Paswan’s sentiments, LJP (RV) MP Rajesh Verma highlighted the party’s impressive performance in the state polls. He said, “It is quite natural that 19 MLAs from our party have won, and many of the seats allotted to us were tough seats. Despite this, the party won 19 seats with a large margin, and on 2–3 seats we lost by very small margins. With this massive mandate, the people of Bihar have clearly shown that there is no alternative to the NDA now. The condition and the numbers of the Mahagathbandhan clearly indicate that the Opposition has disappeared…”
In a decisive electoral outcome, the NDA surged far past the majority mark of 122 seats, tightening its hold over Bihar as the ruling coalition secured a commanding victory.
The alliance, led by Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), saw its numbers significantly boosted by a strong performance from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the alliance bagged 202 seats.
In contrast, the Opposition Mahagathbandhan, comprising the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and Left parties, suffered a severe setback.
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