Hyderabad, February 01: Prominent personalities and public representatives from different political parties, at a meeting organised by Muslim leaders here today, declared that the Telangana Muslim community would get justice only in a separate State.
The meeting passed a resolution urging the Central Government to form Telangana state by making Hyderabad its State capital.
The meeting decided to organise a massive rally and public meeting on Nizam College grounds here on Feb 7. Prominent national leaders from the Muslim community will speak at the public meeting.
Muslim minority leaders organised a convention on Telangana for the first time in the city today.
The meeting got importance as leaders and intellectuals of a cross-section of society shared the dais.
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K Chandrasekahar Rao said that in the separate Telangana State Muslims would be given 12 per cent reservation in education and employment, and the Sachar Committee report would be implemented.
“Capitalists from coastal Andhra are grabbing Wakf lands for business development and such lands could be protected only in a Telangana state. Besides, Andhara people spoiled the real Telangana culture and instigated communal violence in and outside Hyderabad,’’ rao alleged.
Telangana JAC convener M Kodandaram said that Muslims had a great history in the region and the historical monuments in several parts of the city stood testimony to it. “Muslims are living in about 40 percent area of Telangana but are deprived of even basic facilities.
A section of political leaders are trying to separate the Muslim community from the Telangana movement. Development and welfare of Muslims will be possible only in a separate Telangana State,’’ he said.
TRS idealogue K Jayashankar said he was a witness to the backwardness of Muslims before and after the Nizam rule.
Civil rights movement leader KG Kannabiran warned the Central Government of a civil war if the Telangana issue was put in a cold storage.
Congress MP Madhu Goud Yashki said that the meeting amply proved that the Muslim community was supporting the Telangana statehood demand and strongly criticised a section of Congress Muslim leaders for misleading the party high command on this score.
Congress MP Sarve Satyanarayana and G Vivekananda said that formation of Telangana State was inevitable and the Congress- led UPA Government would not go back on its Dec 9 statement.
CPI MP Aziz Pasha said bifurcation of the State was inevitable.
Balladeer Gadar regaled the gathering with his songs.
Siasat Managing Editor Zaheeruddin Ali Khan and Anwarul- Uloom Educational Society secretary Mahboob Ali Khan also spoke. TRS leaders T Hareesh Rao and Nayani Narsimha Reddy attended.
The meeting saw the coming together of Gadar and Chandrasekhar Rao who spoke with each other after a long gap.
—Agencies