Home » POLITICS, NEWS » The MIM has decided not to give any bandh call

The MIM has decided not to give any bandh call

Published on 2 days ago | See Latest Updates @ Andhra Pradesh

HYDERABAD: In a calculated move, the MIM has decided not to give any bandh call to protest the arrest of its president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi.

"Even as the party legislators and functionaries discussed the fallout of the arrest of their leader at Darussalam on Monday afternoon, reports started pouring in from different parts of the city that shopkeepers were downing the shutters. There was no alternative for the leaders, but to go along with the bandh. But, they still desisted from making it official," a source close to the MIM leadership said

Sources said that MIM MLAs Afsar Khan and Ahmed Balala met Owaisi in Sangareddy prison where he reportedly told them not to call for any bandh. They said with the Milad-un-Nabi (the Prophet's birthday)

on January 25, a festive mood has already set in. Against this backdrop, it would be imprudent to call for a bandh because those who would be affected mostly will be from the lower economic strata.

Also, there is apprehension that encouraging rallies against the MIM leader's arrest could result in untoward incidents. Such incidents, if not controlled in time, could lead to large scale disturbances, felt a Majlis leaderHowever, according to observers, with the Milad rallies and public meeting scheduled in the next few days, the MIM may not be able to exercise complete control over the public. "Since the perception that chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy is being vindictive against the MIM is growing stronger among the public, it may erupt in into violent protests. The next few days will be very crucial for the peace in the city," they said.

Meanwhile, the minority leaders in the Congress expressed anger at the arrest of Asad. While many of them requested anonymity, Mohammed Sirajuddin, convener of the minority cell, termed it a conspiracy to drive away the Muslims from the Congress. "There are some senior police officers who are creating a wedge between the Muslims and the Congress by persecuting MIM leaders. What were they doing all these years? Why didn't they stop the MIM leaders from giving those kind of speeches in the past? Why didn't they execute the eight-year-old NBWs against Asaduddin and Akbaruddin in the past? Are there no NBWs of similar nature against the Congress, BJP and other leaders? Why they are not being executed," he sought to know.

Other leaders believe that the incarceration of Asaduddin and Akbaruddin would deeply damage the relations between the Congress and the Muslims.
(TOI)