The United Muslim Forum, an umbrella organisation of prominent Muslim organisations and clerics, appears to have adopted a please-all policy for the ensuing elections.
In a hurriedly organised and abruptly ended press conference, UMF leaders announced their support for almost everyone, except for TDP-BJP and YSRCP candidates in Telangana. The UMF will support 18 out of 23 candidates of MIM in Telangana. Likewise, of nine CPI candidates, it announced support for only seven candidates. It also announced support for four TRS and one BSP candidate. The UMF leaders have also announced support for the candidature of Lok Satta Party president Dr Jay Prakash Narayana from Malkajgiri Lok Sabha seat. It is supporting Congress candidates in rest of the 119 Assembly seats.
Likewise, the UMF has announced its support for MIM candidate Asaduddin Owaisi for Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat and CPI’s K Narayana for Khammam Lok Sabha. It will support Congress candidates in 14 other Lok Sabha seats in Telangana region.
Addressing the press conference, UMF President Moulana Abdul Raheem Qureshi said that Muslims and all secular minded people should not vote for the BJP and other parties which might join the NDA after elections. There is a strong feeling that YSRCP and TRS might the NDA-fold after elections and therefore, only a few candidates of TRS are being supported. He said the UMF had no other option but to support the Congress to defeat Hindutva forces from gaining power at the Centre.
The UMF made several goof-ups in their press release adding more confusion. At more than one place it mentioned that the UMF will be supporting TRS candidate B Vinod Kumar from Karimnagar. However, when asked for clarification, the UMF leaders described it as typo and said they were supporting Congress candidate Ponnam Prabhakar in Karimnagar. Similarly, the UMF has clarified that they were not supporting the MIM’s Secunderabad candidate N Mohan Rao. Instead, they appealed to the voters to vote for M Anjan Kumar Yadav of Congress party to defeat BJP’s Bandaru Dattatreyya.
The UMF leaders were not willing answer most of the questions raised by the media. They had no answers on the criteria adopted by the UMF to extend its support to the candidates or parties. They also did not disclose details of parties and candidates who were approached by the UMF with their list of demands for the community. The UMF leaders remained silent on the meeting that they had with Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Ponnala Lakshmaiah earlier. When asked about extending support to Congress candidate K Jana Reddy, who allegedly made some controversial remarks on the incident of communal violence in Vattoli, the UMF leaders claimed that Jana Reddy had apologised for same. When asked whether the UMF would forgive Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi if he apologises for 2002 riots, the UMF remained silent.
At one stage, the UMF president got angry with the media for intense grilling. He abruptly concluded the press conference by asking media personnel to write whatever they wish to write about their decision. (INN)