HYDERABAD: Cricketer-turned-politician Mohammad Azharuddin is back in the news. This time, creating political storm has been the Congress leader’s intention to contest from the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency.
In an exclusive interview with Deccan Chronicle, he lays bare his political plans.
Excerpts:
Q. Why were you inactive in politics for the past 10 years?
I was never inactive. I was elected from the Moradabad Lok Sabha seat in 2009. I contested from the Tonk–Sawai Madhopur Lok Sabha constituency in 2014. I wanted to contest in 2019 also but I did not get the seat I wanted. As the working president of TPCC, I have been active in the State unit.
When I was steering the party’s membership drive as the in-charge of Zaheerabad Assembly constituency, it stood second highest in the state. We also held a cricket match for the youth and connected with them.
Q. Why did you shift from Moradabad?
My win was the party’s first in Moradabad in 27 years. We executed works to the tune of '4,500 crore in Moradabad. It used to take six hours to travel from Delhi to Moradabad by road though the distance is just 150 km. After new roads were laid, the travel time has been reduced by four hours. The choice of Moradabad was not mine, I followed the party diktat. I was asked to contest from Tonk-Sawai Madhopur in 2014.
Q. Why are you not contesting the polls here? Given a choice which would you refer-Lok Sabha or the Assembly seat?
As I said earlier, I contested from outside the state as dictated by the party. As of now I am not contesting from outside the State. I don’t think the party will ask me to do so. As the working president of the party, I will be in the fray from here.
Q. Where do you want to contest from? Were you not using your visits to mosques for Friday prayers to derive political advantage?
A: want to contest from the Jubilee Hills constituency. I visited Kamareddy in my capacity as the working president. Jubilee Hills is a cosmopolitan constituency. I secured many Hindu votes in Rajasthan. It is imperative for a candidate to work for all. I regularly go to that mosque for Friday prayers. I don’t know how the media ended up there. They must have got wind of my visit. I had no political intentions. Everybody has a right to contest. I won’t be bogged down by others' opposition. It’s for the screening committee to decide. Even if I don’t get the seat it’s not the end of the world for me.
Q. As a working president of the party what is your role? What will be your role during the polls?
I will campaign across the State. I will work for the party in Jubilee Hills even if I don’t get the ticket.
Q. What is the status of court cases vis-à-vis you and the Hyderabad Cricket Association?
The association is fighting. Justice Nageshwar Rao committee is looking into the issue.
Q. The image of HCA has nosedived. Why were you not able to set the house in order?
Things were not happening properly and there were too many clubs. I should get credit for removing 57 clubs. The clean-up exercise is going on. I got a T-20 match and another international match to Hyderabad.
Q. The accounts of HCA have not been audited for the past three years. Why is it so?
The accounts remained unaudited for three years before I joined. The supervisory committee took over in September.
Q. Why have you failed to fix the alleged rotation basis selection of players?
Whatever was done earlier has been reported to the supervisory committee for approval. The supervisory board changed the selectors.
Q. From among the current crop of players, whom do you rate high?
I like Nicholas Pooran( West Indies), Steve Smith (Australia), Zak Crawley (England), Rohit Sharma and Tilak Verma.
Q. What is your reaction to plans to build a hostel on the Nizam College cricket ground?
If it’s true it is sad. It has produced a lot of players and has sentimental value. Nizam college has produced M.L. Jaisimha, Syed Abid Ali and Abbas Ali Baig.
