BRS, Congress corporators come under pressure
Hyderabad: Are the Congress and BRS corporators in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) caught between their voters and party leadership? This question arises amid increasing pressure from the saffron party, which has accused both groups of supporting the Majlis candidate in the upcoming local body MLC elections. “It’s easy to dismiss these concerns as typical political rhetoric and simply follow the party line. However, we’ve seen several banners appearing in the municipal divisions represented by our party corporators. The situation has become complicated, as we feel increasingly scrutinised by the majority of voters in our divisions,” said a BRS corporator.
The issue began when banners started to appear over the weekend. These banners, allegedly put up by groups identifying as Hindus and Hindu Bandhus (friends of Hindus), urged corporators not to vote for the AIMIM candidate in the upcoming elections. The banners cited reasons for their appeals, claiming that AIMIM leaders had insulted Hindu gods and goddesses, as well as criticised Hindu festivals and made anti-Hindu political statements. The identities of those responsible for the widespread appearance of the banners remain unknown. However, their messaging aims to raise awareness among voters in various municipal divisions about the perceived anti-Hindu rhetoric of AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who reportedly mocked the Telangana State festival, Bathukamma. This issue is compounded by his brother, MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi’s infamous 15-minute speech and a recent anti-Waqf meeting held in the city, which generated further controversy regarding claims made by the State Waqf Board over residential properties in the city.
When asked, one Congress corporator stated that he was unaware of any whip issued by his party or, to his knowledge, by the BRS in this election. Consequently, there is a growing sense among corporators that they must respond to the mounting pressure from the majority of voters in their municipal divisions.