MiM Leader Akbaruddin Owaisi's reply to the debate on the motion of thanks for the Governor’s Address

MiM Floor Leader Akbaruddin Owaisi in State Assembly Hall.

MiM Leader Akbaruddin Owaisi's reply to the debate on the motion of thanks for the Governor’s Address in Andhra Pradesh State Assembly.


The Honourable Governor’s Address to the Assembly is the fourth such address after the Congress regained power in the State in the historic 2004 elections. The Governor’s address, incidentally, provides a mid-term review of the performance of the Congress government under Dr Rajasekhar Reddy’s stewardship. The Congress made many promises in the election manifesto for 2004 polls and the government has taken steps to fulfil these promises over the last 33 months.

So far as the minorities are concerned, the Government made efforts to fulfil the promise for five percent reservations for Muslims in professional education and public employment. However, this decision has faced legal obstacles with the Honourable High Court striking down the reservations twice. Now the issue is pending before the Honourable Supreme Court.

We expected the Governor to make a mention of the government’s commitment to the reservations for Muslims and the efforts being made to overcome the legal hurdles. But it is unfortunate that there is glaring omission of this all important issue in the Governor’s address which is supposed to be a policy statement of the government, providing a review of its achievements in the outgoing year and setting out the agenda for the government in terms of its policies and priorities for the ensuing year. It would have been in the fitness of things if the Governor had referred to the reservations for Muslims.

I would like the Honourable Chief Minister to clarify on the efforts being made by the Government to implement the decision on Muslim reservations by overcoming the legal hurdles. I am sorry to point out that there is no forward movement on this key issue with the Honourable Supreme Court yet to constitute the constitutional bench to hear the state government’s appeal against the High Court’s judgement quashing the five percent reservations for Muslims. I would like to request the Honourable Chief Minister to request the Government of India to implead in the case. The Attorney General of India should be requested to assist the government on the issue.

Recently, while inaugurating national seminar on “Challenges and Opportunities for Indian Muslims (Sachar Committee Report) hosted by AP United Muslim Action Committee here in Hyderabad, the Chief Minister had made several announcements like cent percent coverage of Muslim students in pre and post-matric scholarships in the state from the next financial year, opening of 36 new hostels exclusively for Muslim boys and girls and financial assistance for modernization of education in Madrasas.

The Chief Minister also spoke about steps to make the minorities feel that they are stake-holders in the development of the state. He also assured that so far as Sachar Committee recommendations in relation to the state are concerned, the government would its best to implement them. I would like to know from the Chief Minister what follow up action is being taken by the State Government for implementation of Sachar Committee recommendations.

I would like to draw the attention of the Chief Minister to the Prime Minister’s New 15-Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities, which spells out a slew of measures, schemes, programmes, policy interventions and initiatives for enhancing opportunities for education for minorities, for providing equitable share in economic activities and employment for minorities, for improving the living conditions of minorities and for prevention and control of communal riots.

A number of centrally sponsored schemes and programmes are being implemented by the state government and the PM’s 15-Point programme clearly states that minorities should be covered under these schemes and programmes alongwith other sections of society. These schemes include Integrated Child Development Services, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya scheme, teaching of Urdu, modernizing Madarsa education, self-employment and wage employment schemes such as SGSY, SJSRY and NREGP, bank credit and micro credit, Indira Awaas Yojana, IHSDP and JNNURM, besides recruitment to state services, including police force, etc. I would request the Chief Minister to spell out the action plan for implementing the PM’s New 15-Point Programme for Minorities.

The Governor’s Address offers some positive signals for the minorities. The Governor has announced that the allocation for scholarships for the minorities would be doubled in the ensuing financial year from Rs.31 crore in the outgoing financial year. The Governor also mentioned that scholarship rates have been enhanced.

However, I would like to point out that the budgetary allocation needs to be further enhanced to fulfil the Chief Minister’s announcement on the floor of the Assembly last year that the scholarship rates for minorities would be brought on par with the Backward Classes. This has not been done so far, though modest increases have been effected in the scholarship rates for minority students at pre-matric and post-matric levels.

Our party also welcomes the Governor’s announcement that the government proposed to saturate the post-matric scholarship and reimbursement of tuition fees to all eligible students among BCs and minorities beginning from next year as is being done for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
This saturation should cover the pre-matric students also as promised by the Chief Minister.

I am sorry to point out that nothing has been mentioned in the Governor’s address about Urdu education, effective steps for implementation of Urdu as second official language in 15 districts, including the appointment of Second Official Language Commission for Urdu. Similarly, nothing has been mentioned about the scheme proposed by the Chief Minister for grants-in-aid for modernization of Madrasa education. No mention has also been made about the 36 new hostels for minorities promised by the Chief Minister.

The Governor dwelt at length on the implementation of land reforms and the scheme taken up for large-scale distribution of lands to the landless poor during the last two year. The government has launched second generation land reforms (Bhoo Yagnam) for resuming the assigned lands in the illegal possession of influential persons but I would request the Honourable Chief Minister to take effective steps for resumption of Wakf lands in the illegal occupation of influential persons and institutions, including government agencies. A drive should be launched to take back Wakf lands which are under illegal occupation.

So far as weaker sections housing programme is concerned, I would like to point out that the minorities, particularly Muslims, are not allotted houses in proportion to their population or as per the stipulated quota in urban and rural housing schemes. Our party welcomes the decision of the government to come out with a policy to help lower middle and middle class families to have their own houses, especially in view of the soaring land prices.

The Governor has referred to the emerging water challenge in the state capital. There is urgent need to take up the third phase of the Krishna Drinking Water Supply scheme for bringing a further 90 million gallons per day to the twin cities. Moreover, the Chief Minister had announced recently that 33 tmc feet of water or 550 MGD would be brought to Hyderabad through the Pranahita-Godavari link scheme. But the Governor has talked about only bringing 10 tmc feet of Godavari water to the city. This is not enough to tackle the impending water crisis.

Regarding the Old City of Hyderabad, the Governor has reiterated the Chief Minister’s
announcement of a special package of Rs 2024.65 crore to improve the basic infrastructural facilities in the next three years. The Governor has said that a similar proposal for the development of other parts of the twin cities is being prepared. Here, I would like to request the Chief Minister to ensure budgetary allocations under the State budget and central schemes to the tune of Rs.750 crore per year for expeditious implementation of Old City package as scheduled.

Another suggestion I would like to make. Hyderabad District Collector, Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad and Hyderabad Urban Development Authority are overburdened with work of implementation of various schemes, programmes and projects in the twin cities. Therefore, for effective implementation and monitoring of the Old City special package, the Quli Qutub Shah Authority should be strengthened by conferring the statutory statue of an Urban Development Authority. Adequate staff, powers and financial allocations should be made to QQSUDA for overseeing the implementation of Old City special package.

The Governor has mentioned about the Mass Rapid Transit System to be taken up at an outlay of Rs 7,986 crore for covering 60 kms in the first phase. The work on the MRTS is scheduled to commence in the ensuing financial year. The government should take care that a minimum number of properties are affected under this project, particularly in the Old City of Hyderabad. The government should also ensure that the affected property owners are paid compensation at the prevailing market rates to avoid hardships and litigation.

I would also request the Government to take up the Bus Rapid Transit System as a complementary scheme for the MRTS. The Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad has already accorded sanction for the BRTS, covering a length of 42 kms at a cost of Rs 316 crore. The BRTS is essential for solving the chronic traffic problem in Hyderabad city. There is also need to expeditiously complete the Outer Ring Road project to ease the traffic chaos in the twin cities.

As regards Hussainsagar Lake and Catchment Area Improvement project with an outlay of Rs 310 crore,I may point out that we have been hearing for several years now that the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation has evinced interest in the project and agreed to extending financial assistance. But nothing has happened so far and we hope that this time, atleast, the work on the project gets going to restore the lake water quality and ecology at the earliest. However, there is no mention about the Musi River Conservation project and I request the Chief Minister to enlighten the House on this scheme.

Our party welcomes the plans to ensure water and power supply on round-the-clock basis for the state capital. I would request the Chief Minister to ensure that there are no power cuts in the current summer, especially in the cities and towns, in view of the ensuing public examinations for SSC, Intermediate, polytechnic, professional and degree and post-graduate courses during March and April.

As regards the government’s decision to set up regional development boards to ensure balanced regional development and development of all districts. This has been a longstanding demand of our party and the Finance Minister K Rosaiah reacted positively while replying to debates on state budget earlier but the implementation of the assurance has taken unduly long time. The sooner the regional boards are constituted, the better. However, unless a special package is announced for Telangana, as demanded by our party repeatedly, no purpose will be served by reviving the regional boards which were abolished without rhyme or reason by previous TDP government headed by N T Rama Rao in the early 1980s.

On the issue of Naxalism, I may recall that the Congress manifesto promised to hold peace talks with the Maoists to find a lasting solution to this protracted problem. The Congress viewed this problem as a socio-economic issue rather than strictly a law and order problem. But, after the aborted peace talks in 2004, the government seems to treat left-wing extremism purely as a law and order problem by giving a free hand to the police to neutralize the Maoists through arrests, induced surrenders and encounter killings. Encounters are no answer and it would be better if the Government revives the peace talks with Maoists at the earliest.


Additional points on Governor’s address:

The Governor has mentioned that the state’s economy is showing significant growth. During the Tenth plan period, which ends on March 31 this year, the state has recorded higher growth compared to eighth and ninth plans. Without imposing fresh taxes, the Honourable Finance Minister has managed the State finances very well in the last 33 months, without resorting to ways and means advances or overdraft from the RBI for a single day. I hope that the Finance Minister would fulfil the target of bringing down the revenue deficit to zero level by the year 2009.

The agricultural sector is also showing signs of growth, thanks to the short-term and long-term initiatives taken by the government to help the distressed farmers. The Central government has approved a package of Rs 9,650 crore for the 16 districts in the state where a large number of farmers’ suicides were reported. It is heartening to know that the foodgrains production in the state during the previous year reached an all-time high of 169 lakh tones.

As regards Jalayagnam, the government has launched the work for completion of 30 major and 18 medium irrigation projects to create an additional ayacut of 69 lakh acres
besides stabilizing existing ayacut of 21 lakh acres. I may recall that the government had promised to complete at least eight major projects in the first two years and the remaining projects in five-year period.

But there has been time overrun on this score, though an additional ayacut of 12 lakh acres has been created so far. Our party demands that all the ongoing projects should be completed expeditiously, so that the backward areas in Telangana, Rayalaseema and north coastal Andhra get the much-needed irrigation water. Work should commence immediately on Pranahita-Godavari link project also.

On the issue of Special Economic Zones, it has been mentioned that the total extent of lands required for the SEZs would come to 1.5 lakh acres. The Governor has assured that the Government would ensure that “unless it is absolutely warranted, no wet land is acquired for creation of SEZs.” By saying so, the government is not ruling out the option of acquiring wet land in case of “absolute necessity” for the SEZs. We do not want the wet agricultural lands to be acquired for SEZs at all. Otherwise, this will cause heartburns to farmers and deprive them of their livelihood.

The power situation is turning to be precarious. The government should expeditiously complete the ongoing power projects in the public sector, including the 2,100 Megawatts combined cycle gas-based project near Karimnagar which is meant to supply power to Hyderabad . The Simhadri expansion power project and the Ultra mega power project at Krishnapatnam also need to be commissioned at the earliest. The government should make efforts to secure gas supply for the gas-based power projects, which are awaiting commissioning due to non-supply of gas so far.

Our party welcomes the novel scheme being introduced to provide insurance cover to BPL families for treating major ailments. The Arogya Sri scheme should cover all BPL families for providing insurance cover to the extent of Rs two lakh per annum. I would speak more on this subject when the demands for medical and health are taken up in the House later.

Also, the government should ensure effective implementation of all the schemes and programmes meant for improving school education. The Governor has announced that about 300 concept schools under public-private partnership mode are being proposed to bridge the rural urban divide in digital and communication skills. I would like the Chief Minister to give more details of this scheme when replying to the debate on Motion of Thanks for the Governor’s address.

With these words, I conclude my speech and thank the Honourable Speaker for giving me this opportunity.

THE HISTORY OF MAJLIS E ITTEHADUL MUSLIMEEN

MiM President Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi addressing Party Workers at MiM Party Office

THE HISTORY OF MAJLIS E ITTEHADUL MUSLIMEEN PARTY IN ANDHRA PRADESH

The grip of Majlis-e-ittehadul Muslimeen on the community remains strong, With a Member representing Hyderabad in the Lok Sabha, five members in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, 40 corporators in Hyderabad and 95-plus members elected to various municipal bodies in Andhra Pradesh, the All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen is one of the foremost representatives of the States Muslims and the most powerful Muslim party in India and one can see the party’s strength if he goes to Hyderabad and Parts of Muslim Dominated Villages of Andhra Pradesh .Everywhere u look u can see MIM written on walls ,light poles and buildings besides green flags and posters of there Leaders fluttering over there small Offices .The Majlis has brought a lot of development to the Old parts of the city even though its opponents who are mostly Ex Majlis workers. Keep harping that nothing has been done. The Majlis was formed in 1927 “for educational and social upliftment of Muslims”. But it articulated the position that “the ruler and throne (Nizam) are symbols of the political and cultural rights of the Muslim community… (And) this status must continue forever”. The Majlis pitted itself against the Andhra Mahasabha and the communists who questioned the feudal order that sustained the Nizam’s rule. It also bitterly opposed the Arya Samaj, which gave social and cultural expression to the aspirations of the urban Hindu population in the Hyderabad State of those days. In the year 1927 the Ulema, Mashaikeen and Mouzzizeen of all sections of Muslim community of Hyderabad had formed a party called “Ittehaad Bainul Muslimeen”. This party’s 3rd president Nawab Mohammad Bahadur Khan (Khaid-E-Millat) changed the party’s name to “Mumlikat-E-Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen”. In the year 1948 the police action took place during that movement the 6th president of the party was Moulana Khasim Razvi Sahab.By the mid-1940s, the Majlis had come to represent the Muslim minority as a united front The opponents regarded it as remarkably aggressive and a violent face of Muslim militancy as it organized the razakars (volunteers) to defend the “independence” of this “Muslim” State from merger with the Indian Union. According to historians, over 1,50,000 such `volunteers’ were organized by the Majlis for the Nizam State’s defense but and according to them again they are remembered for unleashing unparalleled violence against Hindus and the communists and all those who opposed the Nizam’s “go it alone” policy. It is estimated that during the height of the razakar `agitation’, over 30,000 people had taken shelter in the Secunderabad cantonment alone to protect themselves from these `volunteers’.and on the other hand thousands of Muslism were killed by the Indian Army, But the razakars could do little against the Indian Army . Moulana Khasim Razvi Sahab was arrested and was sent to Poona Jail and the organization banned in 1948. In the year 1957 he was released on the basis that he must leave India and go to Pakistan. Before going to Pakistan he offered several people to take over the charge of President Ship of the “Mumlikat-E-Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen” party, but no one came forward to accept. Moulana Razvi Sahab then called Moulana Abdul Wahed Owaisi a famous lawyer and an Islamic scholar from Jamia Nizamia and nominated him as the President of “Mumlikat-E-Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen” party. Those were the days when the massacre of the Muslims by the Indian army was still fresh in the minds days and there was a fear in the Muslim community to come forward and put a voice for the uplitfment of Muslims When Moulana Abdul Wahed Owaisi became the president to “Mumlikat-E-Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen” party, the then govt wanted to abolish the Majlis party but Moulana Abdul Wahid Owaisi refused to do so and was seen as a person who financially supported the party when it was bankrupt and weak after the Police Action in Hyderabad. Abdul Wahid Owaisi is also credited with having “re-written” the Majlis' constitution according to the provisions in the Indian Constitution and “the realities of Muslim minority in independent India”. He fought the legal case for winning back Darussalam, the MiM headquarters. For years he conducted public meetings and Muslims who were in fear started to trickle in to attend these public meetings .These public meetings became such a success that lakhs of Muslims came from all over the state to attend them. On 2nd March 1958 in a grand public meeting Moulana Abdul Wahed Owaisi declared an amendment in the Party’s manifesto that he has changed the name of the Party to “Kul Hind Majlis – E – Ittehadul Muslimeen” in accordance with the constitution of India. After this the Central and State Governemnt arrested Moulana Abdul Wahed Owaisi on 14th September 1958 and sent him to Chanchalguda Jail. Before he was sent to jail Moulana Abdul Wahed Owaisi nominated Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi as the acting president of the “Kul Hind Majlis – E – Ittehadul Muslimeen” party. Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi on the path of earlier the president also conducted public meetings for about 11 months and carried out the working of the party. After 11 months the Government released Moulana Abdul Wahed Owaisi unconditionally. According to a former journalist, Chander Srivastava, for the first decade-and-a-half after this “reinvention”, the Majlis remained, at best, a marginal player in Hyderabad politics and even though every election saw a rise in its vote bank, it could not win more than one Assembly seat. The 1970's saw an upswing in Majlis’ political fortunes. In 1969, it won back its party headquarters, Dar-us-Salaam — a sprawling 4.5-acre compound in the heart of the New City. It also won compensation which was used to set up an ITI on the premises and a women’s degree college in Nizamabad town. In 1976, Salahuddin Owaisi again became the working president of the A.I.M.I.M after his father’s demise and was also jailed various times for his political views etc. At that time there were bye elections being conducted in the two municipal divisions. It was for the first time that A.I.M.I.M had participated in the bye elections to the two municipal divisions and it won both the seats. In the Election to the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation the A.I.M.I.M also won the majority of seats. After securing the majority in the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation the Government has merged the Secunderabad and Hyderabad Municipalities, due to which the A.I.M.I.M instead of being the ruling party emerged as the first opposition party. At that time Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi was the floor leader of A.I.M.I.M party in the Corporation. In the year 1962 – 84 Janab Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi was continuously elected as the M.L.A from A.I.M.I.M party. This started an important phase in the history of the Majlis as it continued expanding its educational institutions, Hospitals, Banks, including the first Muslim minority Engineering College and Medical College. Courses in MBA, MCA, Nursing, Pharmacy and other professional degrees followed now by a daily newspaper known as Etemaad Daily. The 1970s were also a watershed in Majlis’ history as after a long period of 31 years, Hyderabad witnessed large-scale communal rioting in 1979. The Majlis came to the forefront in “defending” Muslim life and property Majlis workers could be seen at these moments defending the properties of Muslims in the wake of riots and these workers were very hard even for the police to control them ,even now it is a known fact that there are nearly 4500 units of strong members who only act if there is a serious threat to the Owaisi family and these members are under the direct orders of the Owaisi family which leads the Majlis party leaving aside thousands of workers and informers throughout the State and even outside the country far away till America and the Gulf countries.Salahuddin Owaisi, also known as “Salar-e-Millat” (commander of the community), has repeatedly alleged in his speeches that the Indian state has “abandoned” the Muslims to their fate. Therefore, “Muslims should stand on their own feet, rather than look to the State for help'’.He argues. This policy has been an unambiguous success in leveraging the Majlis today to its position of being practically the “sole spokesman” of the Muslims in Hyderabad and its environs. Voting figures show this clearly. From 58,000 votes in the 1962 Lok Sabha elections for the Hyderabad seat, Majlis votes rose to 1, 12,000 in 1980. The clear articulation of this “stand on one’s feet” policy in education and `protection’ during riots doubled its vote-share by 1984. Salahuddin Owaisi won the seat for the first time, polling 2.22 lakh votes. This vote-share doubled in the 1989 Lok Sabha elections to over four lakhs.The Majlis has since continued its hold on the Hyderabad seat winning about five-and-a-half lakh votes each time. Despite remarkable economic prosperity and negligible communal violence in the past decade, the hold of the Majlis on the Muslims of Hyderabad remains, despite minor dents. And despite widespread allegations of Majlis leaders having “made money”, most ordinary Muslims continue to support them because, as one bank executive put it “they represent our issues clearly and unambiguously'’. An old Historian Bakhtiyar khan says the Owaisi family was a rich family even before entering Politics and he says he had seen the late Majlis leader Abdul Wahed Owaisi in an American Buick car at a time when rarely cars were seen on Hyderabad Roads and the family had strong relations with the erstwhile Nizams of Hyderabad and the Paighs even now the family is considered to be one of the richest families in Hyderabad. A university teacher says that the Majlis helped Muslims live with dignity and security at a time when they were under attack and even took the fear out of them after the Police action and adds that he has seen Majlis leaders in the front at times confronting with the Police and the Govt. Asaduddin Owaisi, the articulate UK educated barrister from Lincolns Inn College son of Salahuddin Owaisi and Former leader of the Majlis’ Legislature party and now an MP himself who has traveled across the globe meeting world leaders and organizations and even in war zones compares the Majlis to the Black Power movement of America. The Majlis that emerged after 1957 is a completely different entity from its pre-independence edition; he says adding that comparisons with that bloody past are “misleading and mischievous”. “That Majlis was fighting for state power, while we have no such ambitions or illusions”. He stoutly defends the need for “an independent political voice” for the minorities, which is willing to defend them and project their issues “firmly”. “How can an independent articulation of minority interests and aspirations be termed communal,” he asks and contests any definition of democracy which questions the loyalty of minorities if they assert their independent political identity. “We are a threat not only to the BJP and Hindu communalism, but also to Muslim extremism,” Asaduddin claims. “By providing a legitimate political vent for Muslims to voice their aspirations and fears, we are preventing the rise of political extremism and religious obscurantism when the community is under unprecedented attack from Hindu communalists and the state'’. He can be seen in his speeches speaking against terrorism in the Country and says if the time arises Majlis will stand side by side in defending the Nation and Recently Majlis e ittehadul Muslimeen MP Asaduddin Owaisi has Visited Lebanon after the war with Israel and met the leaders of the resistance group Hezbollah and has even visited Muslims throughout India especially in Gujarat, Bombay, Malegaon and represented there issues to the Government of India and in Parliament. Asaduddin Owaisis younger brother Akbaruddin Owaisi is now the Leader of the Majlis' Legislature Party in the State Assembly and is also considered to be a good orator and Crowd Puller for the Party.