Hyderabad: Chevella MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy described the upcoming local body MLC elections as a clash of ideologies. He said the election is a battle between those who support secularism and those who promote religious-based politics.
Speaking to the media on Sunday, Reddy said there are three major political parties in the state. He referred to them as the ‘Bhai Bhai Ki Party’ (Majlis), which has 49 seats in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC); the ‘Bap Petika Party’ (BRS) with 24 seats; and the ‘Beta Beti Party’ (Congress), which holds 14 corporators. He accused these parties of working together to ensure the Majlis wins the upcoming MLC elections.
Reddy criticized the Majlis party, calling it a “Muslim Unity Party” and questioned its commitment to secular values. He asked whether parties like BRS and Congress, who support the Majlis, have the right to speak about Dr B R Ambedkar, who stood for national unity.
He also criticized the BRS party for not contesting the MLC elections. According to him, both BRS and Congress are supporting the Majlis just for political benefits. He reminded that Ambedkar supported national unity over religious unity.
Reddy expressed his disapproval of MIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi. While he said Urdu is a respected language, he was unhappy with the way Owaisi, a well-educated lawyer, uses abusive language in Urdu against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He also pointed out that BRS leader K Chandrashekar Rao had used similar language in the past, and said that the Congress party is now following the same path. Reddy rejected Owaisi’s claims about Ambedkar at a recent anti-Waqf meeting. He argued that Ambedkar would have supported the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which gives citizenship to Dalits left behind in Pakistan after the partition.
Reddy also said that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and the removal of Article 370 are not matters of religion but of national interest.
Talking about the Waqf Board, he said that despite owning large amounts of land, the board is not earning enough income. He pointed out that in countries like Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, and Iran, Waqf is under government control. He accused the Majlis of misleading Muslims about this issue.
He ended by saying that Ambedkar never wanted different laws for different religions. He urged BRS and Congress corporators to vote according to their conscience in the MLC elections. “This is a battle between those who believe in national unity and those who favor unity based on religion or group identity,” he concluded.