Mohammed Ali Shabbir, an advisor to the Telangana Government, criticized former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for allegedly trying to cover up failures in the Kaleshwaram project. Shabbir Ali voiced concerns about the upcoming report from the PC Ghose Commission and noted that KCR preemptively went to court, even before the report was discussed in the Assembly.
At a media event at Gandhi Bhavan, Shabbir Ali argued that KCR’s actions in court indicated significant irregularities in the project. He explained that Justice Ghose conducted a thorough 15-month investigation, questioning a wide range of individuals connected to the project, including politicians and engineers. The Commission found several errors, such as lacking Cabinet approval, no clearance from the Central Water Commission, and no permission from the National Dam Safety Authority. Despite these, KCR proceeded with the project, reportedly wasting over Rs 1.10 lakh crore. Shabbir Ali compared this mismanagement to the worst seen even in the Nizam era.
He stated that the Commission’s findings would soon be presented to the Assembly for a thorough debate. Shabbir Ali warned that once the discussion occurs, KCR will face repercussions and promised that the Congress Government would hold those responsible accountable.
Addressing the BJP’s criticism, Shabbir Ali clarified that classifying Muslims as Backward Classes is not new. Historical committees and commissions have recognized sections of the Muslim community as socially and educationally backward. The Hunter Commission in the 1880s and the Miller Committee in 1918 noted this. Post-independence, the Kaka Kalelkar Commission (1953–55) also listed several Muslim occupational groups as backward.
He highlighted that several states included Muslims in OBC lists before the Mandal Commission. Tamil Nadu did so in 1951, Kerala in 1957, Karnataka during the 1960s–70s, and Andhra Pradesh in 1968. The Mandal Commission estimated that about 8.4% of India’s OBC population came from non-Hindu minorities, including Muslims. Its recommendations in the 1990s led to the inclusion of several Muslim groups in the Central OBC list. The Supreme Court, in the Indra Sawhney case of 1992, upheld that backward groups within any religion could be classified as OBCs, confirming its constitutional validity.
