Telangana BJP chief threatens 'surgical strike' in old Hyderabad, draws flak from TRS

TRS working president KT Rama Rao on Tuesday lashed out at Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar for threatening to do a 'surgical strike' in the Old City of Hyderabad. Addressing a campaign rally for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation polls, Kumar indicated that adverse action shall be taken against purported Pakistani, Afghan and Rohingya voters who live in the Old City after BJP's victory. Demanding that the aforesaid persons should not be allowed to vote, Karimnagar MP alleged that TRS and AIMIM were dependent on these voters to win the GHMC election. 

According to Rao, the Telangana BJP chief was making these remarks to garner votes and a few extra seats. Thereafter, the Telangana Minister called upon MoS Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy to clarify whether he supported Kumar's 'surgical strike' plan. Earlier, Kumar had claimed that 40,000 Rohingyas were enrolled as voters in Hyderabad with the support of AIMIM. 

Read: Owaisi Rebuts Tejasvi Surya's "Rohingyas In Hyderabad" Claim; 'BJP Can Only See Sherwani'

Read: AIMIM Chief Against Love Jihad Law; 'Owaisi, Traitor, Terror, Pak' At Tip Of BJP's Tongue

Tejasvi Surya flags concern about Rohingyas

On Monday, BJP Yuva Morcha president Tejasvi Surya dismissed the notion that the Owaisi brothers can focus on developmental issues. Alleging that Rohingya Muslims had been allowed to settle in old Hyderabad by AIMIM, he accused Asaduddin Owaisi of echoing the narrative of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Moreover, he appealed that a vote for AIMIM was a vote against India's interests. 

Tejasvi Surya remarked, "Laughable that Akbaruddin and Asaduddin Owaisi are speaking of development. They haven't allowed development in old Hyderabad, the only thing they allowed is Rohingya Muslims. He (Asaduddin Owaisi) speaks the language of rabid Islamism, separatism and extremism which Muhammed Ali Jinnah also spoke. Every Indian should stand against the divisive and communal politics of the Owaisi brothers. Vote to Owaisi is a vote against India." He continued, "Who is Owaisi? Owaisi is Mohammed Ali Jinnah's new avatar".

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation polls

The election to 150 divisions of the GHMC is being conducted in the exercise of powers conferred by Articles 243-K and 243-ZA of the Constitution read with Sections 7(1), 9, 10 and 24 of the GHMC Act, 1955. In the 2016 elections, TRS secured a comfortable majority with 99 wins with AIMIM coming a distant second amid its candidates emerging victorious in 44 seats. The polls for the new term of the GHMC will be held on December 1 followed by the counting of votes on December 4. 

The Telangana State Election Commission stated that the election will be conducted using paper ballots instead of EVMs. Moreover, the polling time has been extended by an hour, i.e from 7 am to 6 pm owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Buoyed by its success in the Dubbak Assembly by-election, BJP is looking to make further inroads in an election where allies TRS and AIMIM are fighting separately.