Congress And The Hyderabad Riots Of 1990
The Background
Andhra in 1990 was ruled by the late M Chenna Reddy. The Congress had swept to power overthrowing the charismatic NTR in 1989 and hours after the election results - in true fashion - the Gandhian Congress leaders started their internally factional war for the Chief Ministership. It was assumed that a young Christian MP - YS Rajasekhar Reddy who was also the State Congress Chief was the natural favorite for the job. help of MIM against the Congress CM then.
YSR is from the violence prone Rayalseema region in Andhra. This region is home to notorious factional leaders. The culture of violence and score settling makes Bihar look like the Peace Corps. lllegal weapons including bombs, guns, daggers, swords are omnipresent in houses. Armies of youth swear allegiance to a factional leader - a warlord - that protects them and uses them to kill and murder people from other factons. One of these factions was headed by YSR's family. His dad had a notorious history of rape and murder and YSR and his goondas cultivated an era of fear and murder in their district of Cuddapah.
But in 1989 despite the strong lobbying within the Congress party - YSR - lost the Chief Ministership to the old war horse M. Chenna Reddy. Usually in such situaions the losing faction does not get the kings spoils of powers. A lesser share in power and not soo lucrative positions and ministries left the YSR faction fuming. They would need seek and find a way to remove Chenna Reddy from power. Hyderabad and the MIM would help them in that plan.
Hyderabad and the MIM Terror
Those who (really) believe in secularism should go to Hyderabad. It is a city that is virtually under siege by one party - the Majilis Ittehadul Muslimeen. If the name doesnt indicate this then let me spell it for you - A Party of the land of Muslims. The MIM was formed by the Razakars - the nobles of the Nizam of Hyderabad after military action by Sardar Patel led to the integration of Hyderabad State with the Indian Union. The MIM and its leadership are muslim extremists and it is a right wing terrorist organization that thrives with the support of the "common muslim". Lately the MIM has been in the news for beating up Taslima Nasreen, kidnapping hindu girls and the beating up hindu doctors in Hyderabad.
The MIM has been led by the Owaisi family that traces itself to the court of the Nizam. The MIM has a virtual islamic army of thousands of dedicated captains. lieutenants and soliders that make the old city of Hyderabad a mini pakistan where Hindus live as second class citizens in virtual fear of their lives. Those that claim that muslims are inherently secular should go to Hyderabad. The common muslim is a bigot who supports the MIM and religiously elects the terrorist - Owaisi and family. Hyderabad is an example of secularism for a hindu living in a majority muslim area. It is a dhimmi state where the kafir lives the life of a second class citizen deprived of any dignity or respect.
The MIM and its islamic army riots in Hyderabad at the drop of a hat. Thousands of hindus have been killed by the Majilis and its followers at the slightest perceived provocation over the decades from 1947. However this blog is about one riot the riot of October-December 1990 because they were launched directly by YSR.
The Riots and its aftermath
While reason for the riots vary - it is by and large acknowledged that this was started with the help of imported goondas from the rayalseema region starting October 1990. The YSR faction bussed in hundreds of its murderers and stoked communal tensions through October 1990. In the weeks of December the attempts to spark a communal riot was in full flow by the congress goondas. The idea behind this was to provoke a law and order situation that would lead to the resignation of M.Chenna Reddy.
This was the spark that the MIM and its islamic army needed. For the next weeks hundreds of poor hindus were slaughtered in the old city of hyderabad. Most of them were destitute and poor laborers with no protection. As armies of muslim goondas raided hindu homes raping women in front of their men, killing children and the elderly. The ill equipped AP police force simply ran away. For the next few weeks it was brutal mayhem as cries of Allah O Akbar made the city residents fear for their lives. The murders would have spread to other parts of the city if not for some attempts by the local hindu organizations to organize hindus to repulse allah's murdering soldiers.
As the people of the city suffered, there was another war within the Congress party. The factional feud was out in the open and Chenna Reddy was accused by the YSR faction of not being able to control the law and order situation in Hyderabad. Finally Rajiv Gandhi succumbed and he asked the CM - Chenna Reddy to resign.
However the old man - Chenna Reddy - had the last laugh. He resigned with a condition that power be passed on to a neutral candidate - another Chiristian MP called Janardhan Reddy. But the YSR faction had achieved its diabolical aim of making Chenna Reddy step down from power.
Conclusion
While this story is common on the streets of Hyderabad for some strange reason it has been swept under the carpet for a long time. It is important to bring this story. In 1984 in Delhi and in 2002 in Gujarat there was an emotional reason for the rioting. But the hyderabad riots were a cold blooded calculation of a factional warlord YSR - to gain power. These riots are also important because YSR is the current Chief Minister of Andhra. The MIM is an electoral ally of the Congress party
Congress and the Hyderabad riots of 1990 | Sulekha Creative