Speculation is rife over Muslim faces in the Revanth Reddy government.
Team Clarion
HYDERABAD — Speculation is rife that the central leadership of Congress is keen on giving high priority to the youth in deciding on the representation of the Muslim community in the government and the party infrastructure in Telangana.
Earlier news reports suggested that Mohammad Azharuddin, working president of the state unit of the party, and former minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir Ali were in the race to represent the community in the Anamula Revanth Reddy-led Congress government in the state.
Ali Shabbir is considered close to the chief minister and in likelihood will get the nod for inclusion in the ministry and get nominated to the legislative council. But names of several second-rung leaders and activists have lately cropped up in political circles and social media platforms.
It may be pertinent to mention here that no Muslim candidate from Congress was victorious in the state elections.
In this connection, the name of Feroz Khan, who lost to former mayor and All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) candidate Majid Hussain from Nampally in Hyderabad, is doing the rounds. Party insiders believe the party acknowledges Khan’s ‘fighting spirit’ and seeks to reward him with a ministerial post.
Khan may be inducted into the Revanth Reddy government as minister for minority affairs and can get into the legislative council. “Feroz Khan, who hails from Hyderabad, has proved his mettle despite losing to Majid Hussain and you know how AIMIM wins. The party should consider his fighting spirit in the face of stiff hostility in his constituency, each time he contests. He should be inducted into the state Cabinet to build up the party base in the minority community,” a senior Congress leader was quoted in the media as saying.
Other leaders in contention are Syed Nizamuddin, party spokesperson; Syed Azmatullah Husseni, campaign convenor of the party; Ahmed Nasir, AICC member; and Shaik Salauddin, labour rights activist. Nizamuddin is a well-known face amongst transport activists and is also very active in the party programmes and chalking out strategies. President of TS Cabs and Bus Operators Association (TSCBOA), Nizamuddin recently joined hands with other associations to form a joint action committee representing hundreds of tour and travel operators in the state.
Azmatullah Husseini is a former PCC general secretary and National General Secretary of the Indian Youth Congress. He also served as state president of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the party’s students’ wing, in the undivided Andhra Pradesh. He is a well-known face among the youth as is Ahmed Nasir, who is a brother of former MLC Maulana Hafiz Peer Shabbir Ahmad. They both enjoy immense popularity among the youth.
Although not a Congress leader, Shaik Salauddin, who founded Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union and is national general secretary of the Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT), has good connections with the party’s top brass. Ever since the Bharat Jodo Yatra of Rahul Gandhi, Salauddin has continuously represented the case of gig workers before the party leadership.
The party claims to have ensured social justice in constituting the Cabinet but it has not given any representation to the Muslim community. Some party leaders, however, explained that all ministers were chosen from the newly-elected MLAs and since no Muslim was elected on Congress ticket, the community did not enjoy any representation in the government. However, the Cabinet will be expanded soon to give representation to other left-out sections and regions, party insiders said.
Since the Cabinet can have a maximum of 18 members and there are many contenders for Cabinet berths among the MLAs and also from a handful of seniors who could not win the elections, the possibility of nominating two Muslims to the Legislative Council to pave way for their inclusion in the Cabinet appears remote.
