Hyderabad: Congress leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Sunday urged voters in Bihar’s Kadwa constituency to defeat vote-splitting politics, warning that the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) was undermining Muslim representation and indirectly aiding the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Campaigning for Congress candidate Dr Shakeel Ahmed Khan at a public meeting in Chauki Panchayat, Shabbir Ali said the MIM’s presence in Muslim-dominated areas was calculated to divide the secular vote. He cautioned that every vote cast for MIM in Bihar would strengthen the BJP and weaken the broader secular alliance.
He accused MIM of playing a disruptive role in national politics by contesting elections selectively in states like Bihar, while avoiding direct challenges to the BJP in its own strongholds. “For 54 years, they could not cross the Musi River in Hyderabad, but now they want to fight 100 seats in Bihar,” he said.
Shabbir Ali appealed to voters not to be misled by religious or emotional appeals. “The kite symbol does not fly toward secularism—it lands straight in the BJP’s box,” he said. He stressed the need to support leaders with a history of representing development and secular values.
Shabbir Ali urges voters to back Congress for united representation
Describing Dr Shakeel Ahmed Khan as a courageous and visionary leader, Shabbir Ali said the Congress Legislative Party leader symbolised the community’s hope for education and progress. He highlighted the commitment of the Congress-RJD alliance to protect minority rights, citing the positions taken by Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav in Parliament on key issues like NRC and triple talaq.
He argued that MIM’s actions revealed its true agenda: to fracture the secular vote and weaken any unified Muslim political voice. “This is not leadership; it is manipulation,” he said, adding that the BJP gains every time the MIM contests elections in minority pockets.
Shabbir Ali also promised that a Congress-led Telangana would extend support to Bihar’s backward regions through development partnerships in education and industry. “We can connect our technical institutes and colleges to help even remote panchayats,” he said.
Calling for community unity, he added, “This country belongs to both Hindus and Muslims. Vote for the hand symbol, and choose leaders who stand for secular India.” The meeting concluded with chants in support of Dr Shakeel Ahmed Khan and the Mahagathbandhan alliance.