No truck between Congress, AIMIM on Hyderabad LS seat, clarifies Shabbir Ali

Hyderabad: Advisor to Telangana government Mohammed Ali Shabbir clarified that there is no alliance with any party including All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) in Lok Sabha elections.

The clarification comes after rumors mills were churning that there was an understanding between Congress and AIMIM on the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat.

New office in Hyderabad

Sameer Walliulah is the Congress candidate for the Hyderabad Parliamentary seat and his election office was inaugurated at Chaderghat on Thursday evening. AICC Secretary Rohit Chowdhary and other senior leaders were present.

Serious election

Shabbir Ali said: "Congress party is contesting the elections from all 17 Lok Sabha constituencies with equal vigor and seriousness. Therefore, there was no question of having any alliance or understanding with any party." He said that the Congress party would expose MIM's failures in resolving the problems being faced by the people of Hyderabad, especially in the Old City.

Agenda of development

"We will approach the people with the agenda of development. The old city of Hyderabad remained backward and could not match the pace with which other parts have developed. A false impression has been created that Old City cannot be developed further. Congress party will come up with solutions to resolve the long pending problems in all the areas of the Old City," he said.

Unfulfilled promises

KCR promised to shift Chanchalguda Jail and Malakpet Race course and construct education institutes during the BRS regime but this remains an unfulfilled promise accused Shabbir Ali. Old City metro rail was pending for 10 years but within 100 days of Congress government, the foundation stone for the metro rail has been laid, he said. Works on the Musi Riverfront project will start and an IT tower is also to be constructed in Malakpet, promised Ali.

During the inauguration of the office, Ali said, "There is a misnomer that Old City cannot be developed. We are going to develop it and also work towards eradicating poverty and illiteracy from Old City."

4 percent reservation

Shabbir Ali condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for targeting the 4% Muslim reservation in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. He said the then Congress government headed by Chief Minister Dr YS Rajashekhara Reddy implemented 4% reservation not based on religion but on socio-economic backwardness. He said a 4% quota was given to 14 socially and economically backward groups among Muslims without touching the quota of SC, ST, and OBC. Further, he said the reservation is under implementation in both the States on a stay given by the Supreme Court. Therefore, calling 4% Muslim reservation unconstitutional is a direct attack on the decision of the Supreme Court.

He said that the final decision on the 4% Muslim reservation would be taken by the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court and neither PM Modi nor Amit Shah can scrap it. He said he would lodge a contempt petition against Modi and Shah for their provocative comments against the Muslim reservation.