AIMIM leader regrets supporting Congress in Zaheerabad municipal elections, slaps self with slipper

AIMIM leader Irmiya staged a dramatic protest at the Zaheerabad Municipal Office by slapping himself with his chappal, alleging that municipal authorities failed to resolve basic civic issues in the 8th ward despite repeated representations to officials and elected representatives.

Sangareddy: In a shocking incident, AIMIM leader Irmiya, husband of Zaheerabad municipality’s 8th ward councillor Sony, who regretted voting for the Congress in the Zaheerabad Municipal Council elections, slapped himself with his own chappal on the premises of the Municipal Office on Thursday.

The incident left everyone present at the scene in shock. The AIMIM leader said the Congress Municipal Chairman Mohd Yunus and municipal officials had failed to address even the basic problems in the 8th ward. The Congress party, which won 14 of the 37 wards, secured the Municipal Chairman’s post with the support of two AIMIM councillors and three Independents in February this year.

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However, Irmiya said the municipal officials were not even responding when basic issues such as drinking water supply, streetlight installation and drain cleaning were brought to their notice. When he approached the officials seeking a drinking water connection in the 8th ward on Thursday, he said they could not even provide pipes and other materials.

Claiming that he had received a careless response on several occasions, he spoke to the media on the premises of the office and slapped himself with his chappal while his wife, Sony, watched helplessly. Irmiya said they had brought the issue to the notice of Zaheerabad MP Suresh Shetkar, Congress party constituency in-charge A Chandrashekhar and other leaders in the past, but the chairman and officials failed to change their behaviour even after the MP spoke to them. He regretted that he had not been able to take up any work in his ward after his wife was elected to the council.