Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy is seeing the cricketer-turned-politician as an icon to be pitted against the estranged Owaisi brothers of MIM — Asaduddin and Akbar — and introduce Azhar as the alternative leader for Muslims not only in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, but across Andhra Pradesh as well.
That Azhar feigned ignorance of the MIM pulling the plug isn’t a salable political brownie point in the not-so-complex and not-so-much-hazy situation prevalent in the State is nothing but a Congress-mark cover drive. Azhar was fielded from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh in 2009 and was elected from there.
Now, he wants to make the local pitch ready for himself in the home turf. The leadership wants to queer the pitch for the MIM. Beginning with Bhagyalakshmi temple, and increasing proximity to YS Jaganmohan Reddy, the Congress leadership began smelling the rat in its relationship with MIM.
The Chief Minister dumped the MIM’s plea for doling out a largesse in the form of a large piece of government land in the prime location at Mahavir Hospital. This widened the chasm between the two allies.
The relations attained a flash point when the Government, which, otherwise, would have ignored, took cognizance of the hate speech of Akbaruddin Owaisi and he was jailed after a slew of cases were filed against him. The older Owaisi had to spend a couple of days in the prison in another case which wouldn’t have mandated an arrest, if the powers-that-be condescended on them.
Now with no hope of Owaisis returning to the Octopussian grip of the Congress anytime before the 2014 elections, the regional satraps in Hyderabad decided to deliver a punch almost akin to what they did to the impudent YS Jagan. The speculation that Azhar could be used as an emissary to broker peace with MIM may not hold much water, for the strained relationship between the Owaisis and the Congress reached a point of no return, at least, for now.
Now Azharuddin wants to play different ball game in the State. Will the Congress let the former skipper play the game or skip it is a conjecture of time.
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