The All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leadership, led by Bhagyanagar MP Asaduddin Owaisi, does not even allow the renovation of the old temple.
The Bhagyalakshmi Mandir at Charminar in Bhagyanagar is still under siege from the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leadership.
The AIMIM leadership, led by Bhagyanagar MP (Lok Sabha) and AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi, does not allow the renovation of the old temple. Contrary to all the available facts, the AIMIM claims that the Bhagyalakshmi Mandir is new construction, and it was done in 1979.
On November 20, 1979, 200 armed terrorists seized Kaaba in Mecca and declared their rule. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia could take back control of the mosque only after two weeks. In these two weeks, Muslims worldwide protested and attacked non-Muslims and their properties.
In India, too, Muslims protested on a large scale. Muslims in Bhagyanagar, under the leadership of AIMIM, attacked and desecrated the temple. Many Hindu shops were also burnt down. This led to a lot of resentment in the Hindu community. Then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Marri Chenna Reddy agreed to renovate the desecrated temple. Subsequently, the pooja in the temple was started. Citing this, the AIMIM leadership claims that the temple was built in 1979.
On November 4, 2012, more than 3000 Muslims led by AIMIM tried to move towards the Bhagyalakshmi Mandir at night. They pelted stones and caused rioting, but were stopped by the police from reaching the temple. The temple shelter was removed in 2012 for the repair work, but the AIMIM did not allow the shelters to be put even after the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s order. The High Court directed the State government to maintain the status quo in the temple as of October 30, 2012. On this particular date, the shelter was there.
Every year, special arrangements are made to decorate the temple on special occasions like Ganesh Chaturthi, Dussehra, Deepavali, etc. Some needed repair works are also carried out simultaneously. The AIMIM leadership obstructs this saying these are expansion plans. It has a strong political hold in the city. Since 1984, the Owaisi family represents the city in the Lok Sabha.
All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), the party represented by Asaduddin Owaisi in the Parliament, was founded in 1927 as MIM to look after the political interests of the Nizam of Bhagyanagar (also called Hyderabad) and to oppose the integration of Bhagyanagar in India.
The Razakars, the private militia formed by MIM to oppose the integration of Bhagyanagar, were provided political patronage by the MIM leadership. The MIM was banned in 1948. Its leader, Qasim Rizvi, was jailed from 1948 to 57 and was released only to move to Pakistan once released from jail.
Qasim handed over the party to Abdul Wahid Owaisi before moving to Pakistan, and since then, AIMIM has been looked after by the Owaisi family. Asaduddin Owaisi’s father, Salahuddin Owaisi, represented Bhagyanagar in the Lok Sabha from 1984 to 2004.
