Hyderabad: The ‘friendly’ equation between the Telangana Congress unit and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is seemingly not going down well with Muslim leaders in the grand old party. The new found bonhomie between the AIMIM and Congress, that was seen in the recent Lok Sabha polls, is working as a roadblock to groom minority leaders from within, said Muslim leaders in the Congress.
“The party’s minority cell is still defunct as the Congress leadership in Telangana has still not filled up that position. It shows that they are just simply relying on the AIMIM for Muslim support and not interested at all in grooming local leadership,” remarked a Muslim leader from the Congress in Hyderabad who did not want to be named.
The Congress’s Telangana minority cell chairman had quit his post in the run up to last year’s Assembly elections and the joined the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). Ex-Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Minority Cell chairman Shaikh Abdullah Sohail had quit the party on October 29, 2023, in the run up to the November 30 Assembly polls last year. Citing issues in the ticket distribution, he had resigned and joined the BRS.
The empty position was a concern for Muslim leaders in the party then, as it was important especially for the party’s performance across all the 33 districts of Telangana in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
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In the results of the Telangana Parliamentary elections, the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won eight seats each, while the AIMIM retained the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat. “We would have won at least 2 or three more Lok Sabha seats in Telangana had it not been for the AIMIM’s support which we took. Due to that, Hindu votes were turned against us and transferred to the BJP to some extent,” said the Congress minority leader from Hyderabad.
He added that apart from giving positions to senior party leaders like Shabbir Ali (who has been appointed as an advisor to the government on minority affairs), others are being neglected. “If you look at the Congress currently, there is no new leadership. Except for Shabbir Ali and Faheem Qureshi (TMREIS president), who is close to Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy, we don’t have any other big names among minority leaders,” the Congress leader told Siasat.com.
Other Muslim leaders in the Telangana Congress also echoed the same sentiments, but said that nothing much can be done as there is no willingness in the state leadership to groom Muslims and other minorities. “They want Muslim votes, but not leaders,” remarked another minority leader who did not want to be quoted. In the 2023 state elections and 2024 Lok Sabha polls, many also criticised the Congress for giving only a handful of tickets to Muslims.
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