Hyderabad, Jan 5 (IANS) Continuing its silence over the demand for statehood to Telangana, the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) Tuesday urged the central government to impose president’s rule in Andhra Pradesh to restore peace.
MIM, one of the eight parties that attended the meeting called by union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, suggested that the government set up a committee for wider consultation over the Telangana issue.

MIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi told reporters after the meeting in New Delhi that the committee headed by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court and comprising senior bureaucrats should be formed with a time-frame to give its findings.

“Our party will give its opinion only before the committee. And if the government does not form the committee, we will convey our views to the Union home minister,” said Owaisi, who was accompanied by his brother and MIM floor leader in the state assembly Akbaruddin Owaisi.

MIM, a key political force in the state capital, has one MP and seven legislators. While all other parties have either supported or opposed the formation of Telangana state and the ruling Congress and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) stand divided on regional lines, MIM has not spelt out its stand.

In the past, MIM had demanded union territory status for Hyderabad in the event of the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh but it has remained silent ever since the Telangana movement was revived in November last year.

Asaduddin said he demanded that the central government seriously consider imposing president’s rule as the agitation for and against Telangana had created law and order problems and paralysed governance and development in the state.

In its representation submitted to Chidambaram, the MIM blamed the Congress, the BJP and the TDP for complicating the issue by “shifting stands and sheer opportunism”.

“The apparent procrastination by the union government and the Congress leadership has caused the present situation,” it said.

The MIM said the future of Andhra Pradesh cannot be decided without taking the views of Muslims into consideration, and felt that the issue needed proper and in-depth study in the larger perspective.

The representation pointed out that Muslims have suffered socio-economic deprivation, loss of employment and educational backwardness ever since police action in 1948. The community also suffered at the time of trifurcation of Hyderabad State and formation of Andhra Pradesh in 1956.