AP Muslim front declares all-out WAR against Congress

United Muslim Action Committee, an umbrella of more than a dozen Muslim organisations of Andhra Pradesh, on Wednesday declared an all-out war against ruling Congress party, specially Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy.

Supporting the decision of one of its constituents Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen to withdraw support from the Congress, UMAC said that it will launch a statewide campaign from last week of November to create awareness among Muslims against the 'unholy nexus between the state Congress government and Sangh Parivar'.

"The chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy has time and again proved that he has joined hands with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Bharatiya Janata Party, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other organisations of the same ilk", said Abdul Raheem Qureshi, convenor of the committee after a meeting.

The meeting was attended by the representatives from all the sects of Muslim community as well as several socio-religious organisations including Asaduddin Owaisi and several MLAs of MIM, Raheem Qureshi of Tameer-e-Millat, Akbar Nizamuddin and Qabool Pasha Shattari of Jamiatul Mashaiq, Moulana Jafar Pasha of Amaraat-e-Millat-e-Islami, representatives of Ahl-e-Hadith, Shia and Mehdvi sects of Muslims.

"We will address public meetings across the state and tell the people of how the Congress government was targeting the Muslim community", Qureshi said.

"Congress leaders are in fool's paradise if they think that only MIM was breaking its relations with Congress. Entire Muslim community is disowning them because of their blatant communal attitude", he said.

The discord between Congress and the Muslim minority, which started a fortnight ago over the dispute temple near historic monument of Charminar in Hyderabad, has now blown in to an all out confrontation.

"It is clear that the Congress leadership at the high level was supporting the communal elements in provocative activities including the expansion of an illegal stricture in violation of the high court orders", he said.

Asaduddin Owaisi said that while an "economic blockade" and police siege was imposed on the old city and all the shops remain closed for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday, the family of deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha was permitted to visit the temple last evening for performing pooja.

"This has corroborated once again the anti-secular attitude of this government. I am waiting for the day when the chief minister will also visit this temple for darshan", he added.

He said that not only shops, but kiosks or fruit vendors were not being allowed to do business in the area but all the roads were completely sealed, people were not being allowed to venture out and even the patients in Unani hospital were deprived of food, medicine and water.

"Our people had to provide some fruits to the patients", he said.

"Only people coming for pooja at the temple are being allowed to enter the sealed area and all other people are being stopped", Owaisi said.

"This is a systematic attempt to destroy the Muslim economy in the area. The daily wage earners and small businessmen are forced to starve. This is the extent of the vindictiveness of this cowardly government. Because MIM has withdrawn support, the government was trying to punish the Muslims", he said.

Later a delegation of the UMAC met Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anurag Sharma and State Human Rights Commissioner Nisar Ahmad Kukru demanding lifting of the police siege, clearing the road blockades and opening of shops and businesses.

The stand taken by the UMAC is a big blow to the Congress party as it had played a major role in mobilising the support of Muslims in 2004 and 2009 elections for Congress party and the then Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy had openly acknowledged it.