Congress unfazed, sees no threat to A.P. government "as of now"
The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) withdrew both from the Congress-led UPA coalition at the Centre and the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh, signalling an end to their 14-year-long alliance.
MIM president and Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi formally announced “with a heavy heart” that his party’s executive committee had decided on Sunday night that it should no longer support the UPA government at the Centre and the Congress regime in Andhra Pradesh because of the “communal policies” pursued by the latter.
The MIM is incensed with Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy-led State Government for allowing a shed over the Bhagyalakshmi temple, abutting the historic Charminar, to be covered with a tarpaulin and the arrest of four of his party MLAs, when they tried to march towards the historic structure to stage a protest. Mr. Owaisi, the lone representative of his party in Parliament, said he had already faxed a letter to the President of India withdrawing support to the UPA. A similar letter was sent to the A.P. Governor.
Mr. Reddy and other leaders were unfazed by the decision as the Congress has the support of 153 members, including an independentin the 294-member Assembly. Mr. Reddy, however, convened an emergency meeting of his Cabinet to take stock of the situation.
Keywords: Hyderabad old city, Charminar temple issue, Sri Bhagya Laxmi Temple, Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, UPA government
I don't see any reason for Telugu Desham to move a no-confidence motion
against the present government.If the government falls and the outcome
necessitates seeking fresh mandate,it will ,doubtless,help YSR CP
improve its strength in the Assembly. For T D P, it is tantamount to
committing political harakiri.T R S should not be in an unseemly haste
in welcoming this unfortunate turn of events.No one questions the
secular credentials of the Congress Party. What we feel is it should be
wise in choosing friends.
The meeting of Asaduddin Owaisi, MIM leader, with Jagan Mohan Reddy at
Cherlapally jail in june this year was the first step taken by his
party towards YSRP. The latest statement by Asauddin that "Jagan is
his friend and Kiran was his friend" is a clear indication of its
strategy to align with the YSRP.
The MIM party has been trying to expand its foothold in the
rayalaseema region (the region has considerable muslim population) in
the recent past and this new alignment is part of its plan to build
and expand its party base in the region.
The MIM chief has realized that his party has nothing to gain from the Congress with his single MP vote and support in the Parliament.
He has therefore wisely chosen to save face by bowing out of the UPA as otherwise there is every possibility of his being booted out.For an excuse he has taken up a non-issue and tried to blow it out of proportion.Anyway.the Congress must have heaved a sigh of relief for being spared of embarrassment.
Disappointing of The Hindu not to give more details concerning the core issue: the growth of this shrine from a pile of bricks put up during a period of curfew and with the connivance of the police a couple of decades(?) back into the structure it is now -- despite a so-called stay order. I have no love lost for the MIM and its supremo -- it is no better than a family enterprise. But the present trouble can turn much nastier if prompt action is not taken
You got to appreciate YS Jagan man. A true politician who knows to play the game perfectly.
The road to his CM dreams is only becoming easier. He cant be stopped at this juncture.
Who is to be blamed for this pitiful congress?? None other than congress.. It had dug its own grave so deep that it cant come out of it now.
CBN is only trying to save his face now. Its only time now that TDP and Congress to try and work in coalition together in the next elections to stop YSJ.
All the tall talk notwithstanding, what this implies is simply that
the MIM has seen the straw in the wind and has come to the conclusion
that Congress is not going to form the next AP government. He is now
going to align with Jagan's YSRC, if a separate Telangana state is not
formed before the elections or with TRS, if Telangana materialises. He
knows he has to be with the winner to be of any relevance to his MIM
party and Congress, to him now, seems a certain loser in AP. This is
just taking a leaf out of the DMK school book of politics. Karunanidhi
similarly discovered all of a sudden that the BJP is NOT secular after
enjoying the fruits of alliance in the NDA for four and a half years,
as he saw no prospects of NDA winning. He is again fidgety now as he
does not see the Congress taking the UPA to success in 2014. This
alliance is also all set to come asunder. Owaisi is doing the same. It
is the Congress that has its head still in the clouds, too smug to see
that it is friendless.
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