HYDERABAD: The Telangana Muslims, in an attempt to come up with a unified stand on the bifurcation of the state, have started discussing the contentious issue even in mosques, where they gather five times a day to say their prayers.
The T-Muslims are meeting sometimes after the Asar (later afternoon) prayer to find out whether the creation of a Telangana state would bring them any benefits or miseries.
The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, that has seven MLAs and two MLCs, has said that while it is opposed to the division of the state, it would not accept Telangana without Hyderabad as its capital. On the other hand, the Muslims of the newer parts of Hyderabad as well as of the districts are largely in support of the creation of Telangana.
The deliberations among the Muslims intensified following the latest round of crisis that erupted as a result of resignations of MPs, MLAs and MLCs from Telangana from the legislative bodies.
The Muslim community members ranging from local leaders of different political parties, government employees, religious heads and youth seem to have broken all kinds of barriers for the first time to join in group discussions in mosques. The management committees of the mosques, realizing the importance of the issue, are allowing the people to hold meetings. “There is no bitterness, no animosity and no rivalries. All are coming on one neutral platform to debate the issue. The objective is to see whether a consensus could be reached on the formation of T,” an imam of a mosque in Sangareddy, Medak district, said. However, at the village and mandal level, most of them are participating in the movement but have no umbrella body to represent their concerns and aspirations, he added.
“After Asar, the community members congregate in the mosque and discuss the political developments in Telangana. For the last one month, the number of participants in the debate is increasing,” another imam of a mosque in Nalgonda district said. On Fridays, the local leaders of all political parties such as the Congress, TRS and TDP come to mosque and participate actively in the discussion.
Courtesy: Times of India