'Contest between Asad and I'

HYDERABAD: Grand Alliance candidate for Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat Zahid Ali Khan said on Saturday that Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) is raising the BJP bogie to scare Muslim voters and pocket their votes.
"After delimitation, Hyderabad has become a Muslim majority seat from where only a strong Muslim candidate can win. There is no question of BJP candidate winning from here.The MIM is using its old tactics of scaring the Muslim voters with the slogan of `threat to Islam.' Fearing the victory of BJP, the Muslims have always given vote to MIM. This time the contest is directly between MIM candidate Asaduddin Owaisi and me,'' he said.
Explaining his reasons of giving up on fighting as an independent candidate and accepting TDP ticket at the last minute he said he did it to counter the MIM mischief. The MIM had fielded one little-known person who carried the name of Zahid Ali Khan and whose father's name was Abid Ali Khan, like his own. "The MIM had brought this person on scene to create confusion among the voters. To check this move, I had to have a well known symbol that is of TD's cycle. Also, I have known Chandrababu Naidu for several years and helped him in bridging the TD misunderstandings with the Muslims. I believe Naidu, as in the past, would change the face of Hyderabad and the state as such,'' he said.
After working as a journalist for 42 years, Khan said, he realized that if the situation of the people in the Old City had to be changed it could be done only through politics. "I have entered politics with a mission. I want to bring about a change in society. I want to give education to every child and employment to every employable person. MIM has been in power in the Old City for the last five decades but did nothing to uplift the conditions of the people,'' he said.