'MIM sympathising with terror suspects'

The BJP on Monday came down heavily on Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) for sympathizing with terror suspects in Telangana.Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy said that the state police must counsel the MIM leaders so that they stop projecting suspected terrorists as national heroes.

"The cops in Telangana are counselling youth who are being lured by ISIS. The need of the hour is to ensure that the police take stern action against these terror suspects," Kishan Reddy said. Expressing concern over the growing influence of the ISIS on Telangana youths, Kishan Red dy said that the government and police were going soft on the terror suspects. "It is a cause of concern that Telangana has emerged as the top recruiting center for the ISIS. With over 87 from Telangana reportedly being recru ited, the state stands number one in the country . The main drawback with the policy is that the youth are being freed after being counselled, while reports say that they are re-joining terror outfits. Many have gone to Syria to join the ISIS via Srinagar, Pakistan and Afghanistan," added Reddy .

Turning his ire on the MIM leaders for attending the funeral of terror suspect Vikaruddin Ahmed, who was killed in a police encounter in April this year, Reddy said that the state police need to counsel them. "MIM leaders have never shown sympathy to police personnel who lost their lives while fighting terrorists. However, they took part in the funeral of Vikaruddin and extended financial assistance to his family as if he was a national hero," Reddy said. "The cops have to counsel these leaders," he added. Reddy's suggestion came at a press conference at the BJP office here. Asked if he would write to the government or state police to counsel MIM leaders on issues related to the waywardness of some youth from the Old City , Reddy said he was calling upon the government and police to do so through the media. Though Reddy's criticism of MIM was aimed at the latter's support, as alleged by Reddy to youth being drawn to terror outfits, the coming days are expected to witness an increased decibel level of MIM's criticism by BJP .BJP had accused TRS of being soft on MIM and its actions only to gain political dividends. With the elections to GHMC council round the corner, BJP , wary of MIM's political strength in the city, is expected to make security related issues a priority for its campaign and in the process, dent the image of TRS.