Describing the previous Congress-NCP Government in Maharashtra as “worst Government for the minorities”, Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) has said that it will raise the issues of Muslims languishing in State jails in the State legislative Assembly.
The party, which surprised by its impressive debut in Maharashtra Assembly elections, was also planning to extend legal aid to get the innocent youth released from jail.
Akbaruddin Owaisi, the MIM floor leader in Telangana Assembly, while addressing a thanks-giving meeting in Mumbai said that 333 Muslims died in police custody in 15 years long tenure of Congress-NCP Government. “Our members in Maharashtra Assembly will raise all these issues and bring pressure on the Government for judicial inquiry in to all these deaths”.
There are 10,000 to 12,000 Muslims in different jails of Maharashtra. “Majlis will set up a legal aid committee in the State to provide free legal aid to all the innocent people lying in jails”.
Though Muslims were elected to the Assembly in the past too but they failed to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the community. “Our priority will be to be move Anti-communal Riots Bill in the Assembly. It will expose the party who claim to be secular,” he said.
Majlis will also strive hard to get the minorities welfare budget enhanced in Maharashtra on the lines of Telangana where the minority budget has been increased to Rs1,000 crore, Owaisi said.
Rejecting the criticism that the MIM had divided the secular votes leading to defeat of the Congress-NCP, he said that Majlis had fielded candidates only in 25 constituencies. “Why these parties loss in the other constituencies,” he asked.
He announced the MIM will also contest the Mumbai Municipal Corporation election and provide a strong leadership to the Muslim community in the city.
While Majlis mostly concentrated on Marhatwada and Mumbai regions in this poll, it is also planning to head for Vidarbha region in the days to come. A delegation of Muslims from Nagpur visited Hyderabad and met the MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi. He promised to visit the city soon and also set up the unit of MIM there.