MAJLIS ITTEHADUL MUSLIMEEN IN ANDHRA PRADESH

MiM Leader Akbaruddin Owaisi addressing a MiM held Public Meeting in Hyderabad
Majlis looks beyond Hyderabad

HYDERABAD, FEB. 10. The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) has decided to expand its base and is planning to contest the coming elections from other parts of the State as well.
The party, which is largely confined to the State capital, has set its sights high this time and is preparing to make a foray into Telangana and Rayalassema regions.
The party is unwilling to name the constituencies from where it would like to contest outside the city till the election schedule is announced.
However, in respect of Hyderabad, it has already made its decision.
Besides its existing four seats, the party plans to try its electoral fortune from Asifnagar and Himayatnagar Assembly segments. For the latter, the Majlis has decided to field a BC candidate in view of the large BC population there.
The party president and former MP, Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi, and his two sons have already set their electoral juggernauts rolling.
By way of testing the waters, they have been visiting some of the places in Rayalaseem and Telangana regions.
"There is a groundswell of support for the Majlis, both among minorities and other weaker sections. People want us to contest from outside Hyderabad," says Asaduddin Owaisi, former MLA, upbeat from a tour of Nizamabad and Adilabad districts.
The public meetings that have been held by the Majlis leaders in Anantapur, Hindupur, Kadri and Kurnool are stated to have evoked a good response.
The crowd response has been equally good at Adilabad, Nirmal, Nizamabad, Balakonda, Armoor and Bodhan.
At some places in Telangana, a Majlis meeting is stated to have attracted bigger crowds than the one held by the minority wings of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
Under the banner of `Halat-e-Hazira' (current situation), the Majlis leaders have gone hammer and tongs against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government.
They have been trying to expose the ``false'' propaganda about ``India shining''. Mr. Owaisi ridicules the NDA Government's feel-good blitzkrieg asking: "When the grandson of the Prime Minister could be thrown out of a train, where is the feel good factor?"
The Majlis is mainly concentrating on consolidation of minority votes. It has decided against forging any tie-ups with any party - covert or overt. Defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party - that's its catchphrase.
"Where Majlis candidate is in fray vote for him and where we are not contesting vote to defeat the fascist and communal forces," Mr. Owaisi says.
He feels that the BJP-TDP will suffer electoral reverses this time. After the Gujrat riots, people have lost confidence in the combine, he says.