The BJP is pulling out all the stops to win the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections with less than a week to go for polling. In the final leg of campaigning, the party has roped in a host of national leaders Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, BJP National President JP Nadda are scheduled to participate this week. Union Minister for Textiles Smriti Irani campaigned on Wednesday while Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, Karnataka MP Tejaswi Surya participated in rallies earlier this week.
A municipal election has rarely seen such a star-studded campaign with only Prime Minister Narendra Modi yet to make an appearance in Hyderabad. However, a source tells TNM that the PM is likely to visit before November 29 - the last day of campaigning. The city's 150 divisions are going to polls on December 1 amid a high decibel and communally charged campaign.
TRS Working President and Telangana Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development KT Rama Rao took a swipe at BJP for its star-studded line-up of campaigners. “Welcome Union Ministers who are coming down to Hyderabad like a flood. It would have been a great relaxation if this had happened at a time when the city was devastated with untimely rains and floods. I hope you are not coming with empty hands, but with Rs 1359 crores as flood relief for the city’s people, as sought by Chief Minister KCR.”
Meanwhile, Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday alleged that the 'unholy' alliance of the TRS-AIMIM is enlisting illegal immigrants in Hyderabad as voters for their political gains.
She alleged that leaders of the AIMIM misused their political positions to include Rohingya Muslims in the voter list. Smriti Irani has also claimed that two television channels have also shown how the AIMIM leaders used their letterheads to ensure that illegal immigrants are included in the voter list.
Addressing a press conference along with Telangana BJP Chief Bandi Sanjay, Union Minister of State of Home Affairs Kishan Reddy and other BJP leaders, Smriti Irani alleged, "One of the clips showing a Rohingya Muslim openly expressing gratitude not only to AIMIM but also to the Chief Minister for including him in the voter list, is a testimony that this corrupt alliance between the AIMIM and the TRS seeks to depend on illegal immigrants for political gains."
The BJP leader asked why the TRS did not order a probe into the media reports about illegal immigrants finding a place in the voter list. The Union Minister said that law and order being the state subject, it was for the TRS government to take action, when asked about why the Center has not taken any action.
Smriti Irani also alleged, "The unholy alliance of the AIMIM and the TRS to espouse the cause of illegal immigrants tells you what their political identity thrives on." Irani accused the AIMIM-TRS alliance of deliberately keeping the old city of Hyderabad devoid of development to exploit the people for their political gains. On the issue of Hyderabad’s floods, the Union Minister alleged that it wasn’t possible to have 75,000 illegal encroachments without corruption involved, pointing fingers once again at AIMIM and TRS.
(With IANS inputs )