Is there no Muslim leader in the West constituency to counter their MLA Jaleel Khan’s never-ending political posturing? Should the Muslim population have to put up with the turncoat politics of Mr. Khan who ditched the YSR Congress to join the TDP for the second time?
Is he really for the welfare of the community or using the community for his personal gains? The poor turnout of Muslim supporters and cold-shouldering by the Muslim intelligentsia at the recently-held ‘mega’ meeting at the Gandhiji Mahila Kalasala grounds organised to showcase Mr. Khan’s clout before Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has triggered an intense debate within the community about his controversial moves and their future. Apart from Mr. Khan’s arbitrary political action, what has disturbed the community is his proposal to introduce his elder daughter, who stays in U.S.A., as his political successor for the 2019 general elections. The righteous nature of the majority of the Muslims has come in handy to Mr. Khan to play with the sentiments of his community for his personal goals, many Muslims felt. “We know how to react to his actions. We will give him a fitting reply in the next elections. He has already tasted our wrath once,” they have warned.
‘Money power’
Yet several Muslim leaders admitted that there is no one in the constituency to counter the might of Mr. Khan who is well past his sixties and not in the pink of health and see his latest action as betrayal.
“Money is the most important thing in politics and the present-day Muslim community in the West do not have big money to get into politics. Loads of money is needed to nurture cadre on a monthly basis and during elections, one should shell out in crores. It is a fact that barring Jaleel Khan’s khandan there is nobody with such money to survive in present-day politics,” Mr. Avala Maruti, former corporator and his one-time follower avers. Says Mohammad Noor Basha of Suleiman Traders: “Muslim families basically are God fearing and they attend prayers five times a day and follow the Quran dutifully. They can no way adjust in the modern politics which gives little scope for morality and ethics. The TINA (There is No Alternative) factor applies in case of Mr. Khan here”. “The general tendency of the city Muslims is not to create a division in the community which might ignite ill-will among the fraternity. Good or bad, the majority of the populace has decided to put up with the quirky nature of Mr. Khan,” says Mir Ayub Ali Khan, trader at Tarapet.
