Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao has been suppressing all agitations against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana and booking cases against people, alleged former minister and senior Congress leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir.
At a press conference here, he said the Telangana Police gave permission to RSS to hold a rally and meeting in Saroornagar. Various pro-CAA meetings were allowed, including a meeting at Quli Qutub Shah Stadium. But no meeting or protest was permitted against CAA.
In fact, the organisers were forced to seek High Court’s intervention to organise Million March and despite HC’s nod, Telangana Police is not permitting women to organise protest against CAA, he alleged. So far, more than 1,000 cases have been registered against those participated in anti-CAA protests. “People are able to protest in some BJP-ruled States, but KCR government is not allowing any kind of protest,” he alleged.
Electoral support
Mr. Shabbir Ali also accused MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi of acting as a shield to KCR’s dual stand on CAA. He said following nationwide protest against CAA, Asaduddin Owaisi took a delegation of Muslim religious leaders to KCR on December 25 just to give him some comfort for the local body elections.
The promised announcement against the CAA, NPR and NRC did not come, he said and appealed to the religious leaders who were part of the delegation to stage a dharna at Pragathi Bhavan against KCR who did not keep his promise.
‘Dual stand’
Mr. Shabbir Ali also slammed Mr. Owaisi for continuing his support to KCR and adopting a dual stand on anti-CAA protests. “While addressing rallies in different parts of the country, Asaduddin Owaisi is exhorting people to organise Shaheenbagh like protests. But he himself is not allowing any such protest in Hyderabad.”
He sought explanation from Mr. Owaisi for his silence on cases booked against anti-CAA protesters in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana. Why isn’t a single MIM worker participating in the anti-CAA protests in Hyderabad? In fact, some local MIM workers are helping the police in identifying those who are regularly participating in the protests, he alleged.