Greater Hyderabad's First Mayor Karthika Bids Adieu

As per the agreement between Congress and the MIM parties, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Mayor Banda Karthika Reddy resigned as mayor on Monday afternoon. She submitted her resignation to GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu. However, she will continue in the post for another 12 days as the special meeting of the GHMC council, which has to accept and confirm her resignation, will be convened on December 17. There is no provision in the GHMC Act for acting mayor till her resignation is accepted.

Soon after her resignation, speaking at a press conference, the outgoing mayor Karthika Reddy said "Generally, the special council meeting to accept the resignation of mayor has to be convened within seven days of resignation. Since Parliament is in session, the meeting will be held next Saturday." She said during her tenure several innovative programmes were taken up by the corporation, including ban on plastic carry bags of less than 40 microns thickness. She said there was an overwhelming response from the general public and business establishments to the ban.

The outgoing mayor said sports was given top priority by constructing sports complexes at places like Chandulal Baradari and Chandanagar areas and Indira Bhavans for women empowerment. She also listed out development works worth Rs 1,400 crore sanctioned by the GHMC standing committee during last two years of her tenure. Meanwhile, deputy mayor and Majlis Itteadul Muslimeen (MIM) corporator Jaffer Hussain is likely to resign from the post of deputy mayor on December 16, a day before the special council meeting as his resignation has to be accepted by the mayor. It would pave the way for the Congress candidate to become deputy mayor as per the arrangement and transition of power between Congress and MIM.

As the process of appointment of new deputy mayor has begun, Congress corporators have started lobbying hard to grab the post. Several aspirants, including Congress floor leader Kaleru Venkatesh, Habsiguda corporator S Harivardhan Reddy, Barkatpura corporator Diddi Rambabu, Boudhanagar corporator Adam Uma Devi, Hafeezpet corporator V Jadishwar and Gunfoundry corporator and minister M Mukesh Goud's brother M Madhu, are in the race for the top job. Congress sources said the deputy mayor would be named after the special meeting of the GHMC on December 17.
 

Modi Is Not Our PM: Owaisi

MIM is a recognized state political party based in the Indian state of Telangana, with its head office in the old city of Hyderabad, which has its roots in the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen founded in 1927. Unlike most of the regional and national level parties, MIM party leaders ‘fight’ only for the well-being of Muslims, whereas no other party has such communal feelings. In their each and every speech, MIM leaders speak only about Muslims. If these leaders are here to fight for Muslims, then why there are no development works are happening in old city area for decades. Akbaruddin Owaisi faced criticism for making hate remarks on Narendra Modi and Hindus. Recently, his elder brother Asaduddin Owaisi made some notorious annotations. In a one-on-one debate between BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra and Asaduddin Owaisi on the topic of demonetization in a popular Hindi channel, the former left no stone unturned in exposing the latter’s communal designs. Owaisi claimed how most of the Muslim community still remains unbanked and that demonetization has caused severe inconvenience to Muslims. He even went on to say that ATM’s in Muslim-dominated areas weren’t fed enough money. He indirectly alleged that the Modi government hadn’t done anything for Muslims. Even after being pressurized Owaisi didn’t call Narendra Modi as his Prime Minister. He went on said, “Your Prime Minister…” On the other hand, Sambit spoke wisely and called Owaisi a leader of small stature because he talked only of Muslims. He said that no area was Muslim or Hindu and that all areas belonged to India. Owaisi was constantly quoting an RBI report, to which Sambit challenged him to show where the RBI had used the word ‘Muslim’. Sambit even said that if a Muslim leader speaks of Muslims it’s not an issue, but the moment a VHP leader speaks of Hindus people go crazy accusing them of imposing the Hindutva ideology. The most amazing of his counters was to Owaisi’s claims of Muslims not having been brought into the banking system. Sambit said that when banks or ATMs are to be opened in Muslim areas leaders like Owaisi shout that banking is un-Islamic and that Muslims should refrain from it! This video of debate between Sambit Patra and Asaduddin Owaisi is going viral in social media.