Secretariat mosques are not being reconstructed at original sites: Congress

Hyderabad, Nov.26 (Maxim News): Former Minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir expressed serious doubts over the exact location for the re-construction of two mosques in the new Secretariat premises.

“Masjid-e-Moatamadi and Masjid-e-Hashmi were old mosques which were illegally demolished by the TRS Government in July 2020 to facilitate the construction of a new building for the Secretariat. After making several failed promises in the last one-and-a-half years of re-constructing the mosques at their original site, TRS Government has again cheated the Muslim community by relocating them,” Shabbir Ali said in a media statement on Friday while adding that several Muslim religious leaders who attended the ceremony on Thursday has raised serious doubts over the location.

Shabbir Ali demanded that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao give a clarification, along with Google Maps of pre-July 2020 and now, to show that both the mosques are being re-constructed at the original site. “The entire battle for Babri Masjid was for its original location where it existed from its construction in 1528-29 till its demolition in December 1993 . A Masjid cannot be relocated for whatever be the reason. However, KCR Govt first committed the sin of demolishing two mosques in the Secretariat and now it is committing the sin of their relocation,” he said.

The Congress leader said that the secrecy with which the programme for laying the foundation stone for reconstruction of demolished mosques has strengthened the suspicion of a foul play. He said only a few selected leaders, both religious and political, were invited for the ceremony just a few hours before the programme. Further, all the religious and social leaders who launched agitation seeking reconstruction of these mosques were placed under house arrest till the end of the programme. “The haste and secrecy clearly shows that the TRS Govt has again indulged in some foul play. If Home Minister Mahmood Ali is confident that the mosques are not relocated, then he should not have any objection in permitting anyone to visit the site to perform Namaz. Why is the TRS Govt treating a place of worship as a restricted area?” he asked.

He reminded that CM KCR had given an assurance in the Assembly that he would lay the foundation stone for reconstruction of two demolished mosques and one temple on the same day. He also announced that he would construct a Church in the new Secretariat. “Why did CM KCR abstain from Thursday’s programme? MIM President Asaduddin Owaisi too skipped such an important event. Further, no official from the Minorities Welfare Department including Minorities Welfare Department Secretary Ahmed Nadeem and Wakf Board CEO Shahnawaz Qasim were not permitted to attend the programme, he said.

The Congress leader also slammed Home Minister Mahmood Ali for creating a hype over allocation of Rs. 2.9 crore for the re-construction of two mosques. He said that the Muslim community never objected to the TRS Govt spending over Rs. 2,000 Crore for renovation of Yadadri Temple. He said no such hype was created when KCR Govt spent hundreds of crores on other places of worship. But Mahmood Ali is trying to highlight Rs. 2.9 Crore as if it was Rs. 2 Lakh Crore. He said that the Muslim community might be poor, but it had the potential to construct a golden mosque with its own money. Therefore, the TRS Govt must never try to give an impression as if it is re-constructing the mosque as ‘khairaat’ (alms).

Further, he said that the TRS Govt should be apologetic in its approach as it has illegally demolished six mosques in the last seven years, including two mosques in the State Secretariat.

“TRS Govt should act in a responsible manner on the issue of mosques. It can bribe or mislead some religious and political leaders to relocate the mosques, but it cannot cheat the entire Muslim community. Similarly, the religious and other leaders, who are directly or indirectly supporting the TRS Govt in shifting the mosques must do a serious introspection. They might get away in this world. But they might not be spared in the ‘Akhira’ for spreading falsehood about mosques which are called ‘Allah ka Ghar’,” Shabbir said.

Shabbir said he was highly pained over these developments as he had made a huge contribution in the renovation of both Masjid-e-Moatamadi and Masjid-e-Hashmi when he was a minister. “Right from laying the foundation stone to their massive expansion and renovation of both the mosques, I was personally involved in the entire process. But the TRS Govt has demolished two beautiful mosques to satisfy CM KCR’s superstitious beliefs,” he said. (Maxim News)

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