The Aam Aadmi Party’s Hyderabad MP candidate, Lubna Sarwath’s office informed that autorickshaw driver Mohd. Abdul Wasim had been paid Rs.2,400 more on Friday as agreed upon mutually, in addition to the Rs.6,000 he had already received from Asma Shehnaz, the MLA candidate. Mr. Wasim’s autorickshaw was seized on April 21, after being in the campaign for two days.
Responding to the news story ‘Aam Aadmi rues backing AAP’ published in these columns on May 8, a press statement from Amina Hussain, election agent of Dr. Sarwath, informed that Mr. Wasim will be offered whatever financial support is possible once the auto is released through court, in lieu of the number of days lost due to the vehicle being in police custody.
The statement further clarified that neither Dr. Sarwath nor AAP office-bearers had any idea of the logistics of hiring the auto and the campaigning programme, as the auto was hired for Ms. Shehnaz’s campaign and merely displayed Dr. Sarwath’s photo, which brought her into the purview of the case.
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Dr. Sarwath, however, had sent a signed form through Mr.Wasim on April 25 and a petition was also filed for release of the auto, which was presented to the court only on May 2 when the judge went on leave. The next hearing was postponed to May 26, though efforts are on to get the auto released on May 16 when the judge returns, the note informed.