Who is BJP’s B-team? Congress, AIMIM target each other over ‘secret alliances’

Hyderabad: Indian National Congress and All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen are trading barbs at each other. AIMIM MLC Rahmat Baig, in a public meeting, slammed Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Revanth Reddy for aligning with Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) in Manikonda municipality.

“The chairman in that municipality is from Congress and the vice-chairman is BJP. When Congress and BJP are taking care of each other there, how can they call AIMIM the B-team of BJP? Why are they again and again criticising AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi?” asked Baig.

Baig added that Revanth Reddy’s route to Gandhi Bhawan is via Nampally, where the AIMIM workers will stage a protest.

Congress hits back

Baig’s statements have angered the Congress party workers, who have come out with a statement against the AIMIM’s leader’s behaviour.

“How can MLC Rahmat Baig stoop to the level of a rowdy sheeter? Why is he resorting to threats? We are capable of giving a fitting response to AIMIM workers for their cheap tactics but we don’t want to resort to violence,” said Sameer Waliullah, Hyderabad district committee president.

Telangana Congress party has never formed any alliance with the BJP for the sake of positions of power, clarified Sameer Walliulah.

“Baig is attempting to target the entire Congress party by highlighting an isolated incident from 2020. There were some Congress councillors in Manikonda municipality who formed an understanding with the BJP to seize the posts of chairman and vice-chairman from Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). In fact, BRS and BJP had alliances in several municipalities in Telangana to keep Congress out of power,” Walliulah alleged.

The Congress party, in its statement, asked, “Why did AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi continue his alliance with the BRS, and not ask Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao to sever ties with the BJP in those municipalities? Further, MIM never objected to BRS supporting the BJP government at the Centre on several issues. Why is Rehmat Baig talking now?”

Waliullah added, “Instead of attacking the Congress party, AIMIM should first explain what has it done for the development of Old City. The rampant issues of Old City are declining literacy rates, high level of unemployment, lack of basic civic amenities and the only civic hospital, Osmania General Hospital, is not given sufficient funds by the government.” The Old City metro rail is also another project which never took off in this part of the city, said Waliullah.

With Telangana Assembly elections tentatively scheduled for the year-end, political parties are actively countering each other to score points.