Bharatiya Janata Party, which is desperate to gain a firm footing in Telangana and hoping to come to power in 2023 assembly elections, has found an excellent opportunity to checkmate the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) in Hyderabad.
The recent publication of the final list illegal immigrants under National Register for Citizens (NRC) in Assam has come in handy for the BJP to corner the MIM, which has allegedly been cashing in on the votes of illegal migrants from Bangladesh and other countries into Hyderabad.
The BJP leaders have started demanding that the Centre should commence the NRC activity in Telangana, particularly in Hyderabad, as well to weed out illegal immigrants.
Alleging that the TRS and its political ally MIM have been deliberately ignoring the growing menace of illegal immigrants.
Though official records say only 4,000 immigrants from Bangladesh (Rohingyas) are there in Hyderabad, BJP says their actual number runs into a few lakhs.
They have found the local environment conducive for their survival and become a vote bank for the MIM. It also alleged that several Pakistanis are overstaying in the city beyond the visa period.
“The TRS, in political connivance with AIMIM, is looking the other way, with full knowledge of this dangerous trend,” BJP spokesperson K Krishna Sagar Rao said.
BJP MLA T Raja Singh alleged that MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has given shelter to many Bangladeshis and Rohingyas to serve as his vote bank.
A delegation of the party leaders is expected to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah soon to “brief” him about the situation in the state.
The BJP leaders say if Rohigyas are sent out of Hyderabad, it can break the backbone of the MIM in the old city. In turn, it will have a great impact on the TRS, they feel.
