Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) on Wednesday celebrated 58th anniversary of its revival with party lader Akbaruddin Owaisi hoisting the party flag at Darussalam, the party headquarters here.
With MIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi busy in Delhi attending the Parliament session, his younger brother and party leader in the Telangana assembly did the honours in the presence of party legislators, leaders and workers.
Speaking on the occasion, Akbaruddin recalled how his grandfather Maulvi Abdul Wahed Owaisi, a lawyer, strove hard to protect the rights of minorities enshrined in the Indian Constitution by reviving the party on this day in 1958 with a new party constitution.
Undeterred by the prevailing atmosphere of fear and misery among the Muslims in the aftermath of the Hyderabad Police Action that took place earlier, Abdul Wahed Owaisi took up the onerous task of organising the community, he noted.
Abdul Wahed Owaisi was also imprisoned for 11 months by the then Andhra Pradesh government.
Under the leadership of Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi, MIM grew stronger. The party, which strongly believes in the nation's secular democracy, strove to protect and enhance its quality by effective representation from local to national level.
Recalling numerous achievements under the leadership of Asaduddin Owaisi, Akbaruddin said Muslims should get equal rights on par with the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.
Referring to the work done by MIM in the field of professional education, healthcare and cooperative banking in Hyderabad, he said the party would replicate the same in other states.
He said the party would also fight for the rights of people of Kashmir, which is an integral part of India.
The MIM legislator said attempts were made to divide the country on religious lines when Babri Masjid was demolished by Sangh goons. "I want to ask why sedition charges were not made against them. Today they filed sedition charges against Kanhaiya and others," said Akbaruddin.
"Majlis is not against any religion but we are against Hindutva and we will continue our fight against communal forces in a democratic and constitutional way," he added.
