Former Indian cricketer Azharuddin sworn in minister in Telangana cabinet

HYDERABAD: Former Indian cricketer and senior congress leader Mohammad Azharuddin has been sworn in as a minister in the Telangana cabinet. Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Verma administered the oath of office to him at a function held at the Raj Bhavan Friday morning. His induction fills a long-standing vacancy and provides the Congress government with its first Muslim representation in the cabinet. The opposition in Telangana alleged that this move by the government is aiming at the bypolls in Jubilee Hills constituency on November 11. Azharuddin is not a member of the assembly presently.

Jubilee Hills assembly constituency has a Muslim population of about 30 percent. The opposition BJP has alleged that Azhar's entry into the cabinet is a violation of the model code of conduct. They have filed a complaint with the chief electoral officer regarding this. They claim that this is a misuse of official power. Meantime, the Congress argues that their move is for social justice. ‘The Congress has always been committed to providing representation to minorities in the cabinet. Even in the previous government in Andhra Pradesh, minority faces were included. We are correcting the imbalance that existed in Telangana for a long time,' said Telangana Congress president Mahesh Goud said.

The government has proposed to make Azharuddin a member of the Legislative Council. However, the governor has not signed it. Therefore, Azharuddin will have to win the assembly within six months.