Congress leaders Shabbir Ali, Adi Srinivas face poll code heat for campaigning at religious site

Congress leaders Mohammed Ali Shabbir and Adi Srinivas are under scrutiny for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct by campaigning at a mosque in Erragadda, Jubilee Hills. The incident mirrors a previous case against BRS leaders for similar actions. During the outreach, Shabbir Ali reiterated the party’s commitment to increasing Muslim reservations from 4 to 10 percent.

Hyderabad: In what could be a clear case of poll code violation, Advisor to the Government Mohammed Ali Shabbir and Government Whip Adi Srinivas were seen carrying out an election campaign at a religious place in Erragadda division in Jubilee Hills constituency here on Friday.

It may be recalled that last month a case was registered against BRS candidate Maganti Sunitha and her daughter Maganti Akshara for campaigning at places of worship without seeking permission.

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Interestingly, Shabbir Ali and Adi Srinivas sporting party scarves along with other party leaders distributed pamphlets to people coming out of a mosque. They greeted the people at the gate and appealed for support to the Congress.

Shabbir Ali said that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy was determined to enhance the Muslim quota from the existing 4 per cent to 10 per cent, once the ongoing process of securing 42 per cent reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) is accomplished.

Later speaking to local residents, he explained that the move to expand the Muslim quota would be backed by data from the recently conducted caste survey. In the survey it was found that over 10.08 per cent of Telangana’s Muslim population belonged to the BC-E category and continued to face economic and educational deprivation, he added.

During the campaign, he along with Government Whip A Srinivas and several party leaders, conducted door-to-door visits in different areas of Erragadda.