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AIMIM’s undiminished sway over Hyderabad makes it irreplaceable in T’gana

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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.

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Lawrence Bishnoi gang member Hari Boxer detained in US; process to bring him to India underway

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Jaipur : In a major breakthrough in Rajasthan Police’s ongoing crackdown on organised crime and criminal gangs, notorious gangster Harichand Jat alias ‘Hari Boxer’, an active member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and a wanted fugitive, has been detained in the United States. The operation was carried out under the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Rajiv Kumar Sharma as part of the state police’s sustained campaign against organised criminal networks. The Rajasthan Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), working under the guidance of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Dinesh M.N., played a key role in securing the detention. A special team operating under the supervision of Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) Deputy Inspector General of Police and Interpol Liaison Officer Yogesh Yadav gathered crucial intelligence and coordinated efforts to trace the fugitive.

As part of the international operation, Rajasthan Police facilitated the issuance of a Red Corner Notice against Hari Boxer. It also sent 14 separate references to Interpol across five countries to track his whereabouts and secure action against him. To strengthen the case for his detention, the police submitted a provisional arrest request, an updated and comprehensive dossier containing details of the accused, and his fingerprints to the concerned authorities. Hari Boxer has deep roots in Rajasthan. His birth, upbringing and early journey into the world of crime are all closely linked to the state. His real name is Harichand Jat, and he originally hails from the Bansur area of Rajasthan’s Kotputli-Behror district. His father Girdhari Jat is an ordinary farmer from the region.

Before entering the world of crime, Harichand reportedly led an ordinary life in his village and aspired to serve the country or the state. A look into Hari Boxer’s background reveals that Harichand Jat initially aspired to join the Indian Army or Rajasthan Police. While preparing for competitive examinations, he moved to Jaipur, the state capital. During his stay in Jaipur, he underwent professional boxing training and later started coaching young people in the sport. His association with the boxing ring in Jaipur and his subsequent work as a boxing coach earned him the nickname ‘Hari Boxer’. The name gradually became popular among his friends and on social media before gaining recognition in criminal circles as well. The process to bring Hari Boxer back to India is now underway. His detention marks a significant achievement for Rajasthan Police in its efforts to dismantle organised criminal networks and pursue gangsters operating beyond India’s borders.

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Nitin Nabin’s remarks on Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav trigger political slugfest; BJP, Oppn trade charges

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New Delhi : Political leaders from the BJP, Congress, Samajwadi Party and other parties on Saturday exchanged sharp reactions to remarks made by BJP National President Nitin Nabin during an exclusive interview with Media, in which he targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over family-centric politics, alleged attempts to create unrest and their political approach. Backing Nabin, BJP spokesperson RP Singh said the party president is absolutely right in describing Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav as leaders whose concerns were limited to their respective families. He alleged that neither leader thought beyond family interests. West Bengal Minister Tapas Roy also endorsed Nabin’s remarks, shifting the focus to development and governance in the state.

Criticising successive Communist and Trinamool Congress governments, Roy alleged that little had been done over the past 50 years to generate employment or establish adequate industrial and infrastructure facilities. He said the Centre is now working with a welfare-oriented approach. However, Congress MP Balwant Wankhade rejected Nabin’s criticism of Rahul Gandhi and the Gandhi family. Speaking in Amravati, Maharashtra, Wankhade said the family had always prioritised the country over personal interests. Citing former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, he said they had sacrificed their lives for the nation and maintained that Rahul Gandhi is continuing to fight for the country’s interests.

Samajwadi Party MP Ramashankar Rajbhar also hit back at Nabin over his remarks concerning Sanatan and the politics surrounding the ‘topi’. He alleged that the BJP was unsettled by Akhilesh Yadav’s PDA (Pichde, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) politics, religious practices and the temple being constructed in Etawah. Meanwhile, SBSP MLA Bedi Ram welcomed Nabin’s observations, particularly on development, and thanked him for highlighting infrastructure expansion. Pointing to road construction, expressways, connectivity and rural roads, he said good infrastructure was essential for a state’s and country’s progress. Nabin’s remarks also targeted the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation over its foreign funding, accused Rahul Gandhi of being used as a ‘foreign toolkit’ to create unrest, and questioned the Congress leader’s approach towards democratic institutions and parliamentary traditions.

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‘Prepare for your next life’: Rajbhar mocks Akhilesh Yadav, says he won’t become CM in this life

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Lucknow : Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief, Om Prakash Rajbhar, on Saturday took a swipe at Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav over his claim that his party would return to power in Uttar Pradesh and he would become the Chief Minister again. Reacting to Akhilesh Yadav’s assertion, Rajbhar said that the Samajwadi Party chief should prepare for his next life if he wished to become Chief Minister, as he would not get the opportunity in his present life. “Prepare for your next life. You will not become the Chief Minister in this life,” Rajbhar told Media, taking a dig at the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister. The remarks came after Akhilesh Yadav expressed confidence that the Samajwadi Party would return to power in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and that he would once again become the Chief Minister.

Earlier, addressing a gathering in Varanasi, Akhilesh Yadav had indicated that he would not contest the 2027 Assembly elections himself. Instead, he said that he would take the oath as Chief Minister directly from his position as a Lok Sabha member if the Samajwadi Party formed the government. The SP chief also made several promises for Varanasi, including bringing a Metro rail project to the holy city if his party returned to power. He further assured that the Varuna river would be cleaned and that farmers would receive adequate compensation under his government. Rajbhar also commented on the growing scale of the Deepotsav celebrations in Ayodhya, saying that the festival was attracting increasing public participation and gaining popularity with every passing year.

“The Deepotsav programme is gaining popularity day by day, and people’s attraction towards it is increasing. This is why it is being celebrated on a much larger scale than last year,” he said. The minister also reacted to the Election Commission’s decision to provide another opportunity to people whose names have been left out of the voter lists during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in seven states, including Delhi. Defending the Election Commission’s repeated efforts to ensure that eligible voters are included in the electoral rolls, Rajbhar said the poll body did not want anyone’s name to be excluded from the voter list. “The Election Commission does not want anyone’s name to be left out of the voter list. That is why it is repeatedly publishing the lists and asking people to fill in the required forms or approach the authorities for assistance. If people are not taking the process seriously, what can the Election Commission do?” he said.

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