The MajliseIttehadul Muslimeen party broke ties with the ruling Congress for the benefit of the 80 lakh Muslims in the state, said MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, adding, the Bhagyalakshmi temple issue was not the main reason.

In an exclusive interview to this newspaper, Mr Owaisi cited a series of issues concerning the community, including curbs on fee reimbursement for Muslim students and unfair treatment of Muslim youth by the police.

On the Mahavir Hospital issue, Mr Owaisi said the CMO was selectively leaking information. It had not “leaked“ the information that the Darussalam Medical Education Trust had withdrawn its application for the site, he said. Mr Owaisi blamed CM N.

Kiran Kumar Reddy for letting matters come to a head. Things started going downhill since the demise of YSR, he said, and strongly criticised Congress for collecting huge sums through power bills for Fuel Surcharge Amount.

He blamed the authorities for the attack on Akbaruddin by goons in “broad daylight“ because he wanted 100 acre of government land in Chandrayangutta for housing.

On Telangana, he said the MIM is not for bifurcation. The party has no objection for the creation of RayalaTelangana with Hyderabad as the capital, he said.

80 lakh Muslims a disappointed lot in state It is not a question of the Bhagyalakshmi temple alone.
Right from 2010, the Kiran government has not bothered about Muslims ­­ Asaduddin Owaisi

The MIM broke ties with the rul ing Congress for the sake of 80 lakh Muslims in the state, said party chief Asaduddin Owaisi, adding that the row over the Bhagyalakshmi temple was not the main reason for his decision.

In an exclusive interview with DC, Mr Owasi blamed Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy . He pointed out that for the Congress, things started going downhill after YSR's demise.

Excerpts from the interview: Can you justify your decision to snap ties with the Congress due to the Bhagyalakshmi temple controversy?

It is wrong to say that we took the decision only due to the Bhagyalakshmi temple controversy . There are many other reasons.

Eighty lakh Muslims in the state are today utterly disappointed with the government's failure to address their issues.

It is not a question of the Bhagyalakshmi temple alone. Right from 2010 or I can say since the demise of YSR, the Congress government has not bothered about Muslims.

Take for example the feereimbursement to backward Muslims. Now the government has imposed several restrictions on the scheme.

I know several poor students who have stopped going to professional colleges due to these restrictions. MROs are told not to clear their applications.

I represented several times to Kiran Kumar Reddy about the cases booked against innocent Muslim youths in the Macca Masjid blast.

Everyone knows who has done it, then why file cases against Muslims?

I represented the major water supply scheme to the Rajendranagar area which was cleared by Jaipal Reddy Garu when he was in-charge of the JNNURM scheme. But the government did not bother about releasing funds.

We had asked that the Quli Qutub Shah Development Board be provided with funds, but no action was taken. YSR had released some funds for water works in the Nampally and Karwan Assembly segments, but this government has kept it pending.

Also in the name of FSA, the government is collecting huge sums. We had asked for this to be stopped but nothing was done.

My brother Akbaruddin was attacked in broad daylight by some goons because he wanted 100 acres of government land in the Chandrayangutta area for a housing project.

There was a stay order in court. Still for the last two years, the government did not take any action to vacate the stay orders.

Another thing is that there is a 20-point economic programme exclusively for Muslims. While implementation of this scheme at the national level is 13 per cent, in our state it is hardly 6.5 per cent. Why this discrimination? How can Muslims develop without assistance?

Did you tell the Congress leadership about these issues?

I had informed them several times that what Kiran was doing to the Muslim community was not good.
The CM is not secular.

You have also simultaneously withdrawn from the UPA. How can you justify that?

I am not a Congressman to jump to Delhi and complain. I am running my own organisation. I cannot support the Congress government in Delhi while withdrawing support here.

But one thing I must make clear. My snapping ties with the Congress will not be useful to the BJP and other communal parties at the Centre. In what manner we do that...you leave it to me.

Will you reconsider your decision? It is not possible at this stage. Kiran was your friend.
Why can't you speak to him and sort out issues?

Who said I am not in touch with Kiran? With regard to the Bhagyalakshmi issue, when we decided to move the HC and when it passed orders to maintain status quo, at every stage I personally called on his mobile and informed him.

When the police put up the tarpaulin over the temple I told the CM not to do it as it would hurt sentiments.

On Saturday night, home minister Sabita called me and asked what I expected from the government and I told her about the tarpaulin issue, to which she agreed. But then the ASI thing has come.

They seem to have said that the tarpaulin had existed even on October 30, which is not true. I had warned about this. The home minister told me that CM was not listening to them.

There are charges that you withdrew support as the CM did not okay your demands for the Mahavir Hospital site lease and also other lands like Mehdipatnam Rytu Bazaar etc.

Totally false. It is a fact that we had asked the government to allot the Mahavir Hospital site for setting up a medical hospital of our own institution.

Everyone knew that the lease period given to Mahavir Hospital was about to end.

But I blame the Chief Minister's Office for selectively leaking information that we had sought the land.