Hyderabad: Senior BJP leader Marri Shashidhar Reddy raised serious allegations against what he described as an “extra-constitutional power structure” operating within the Telangana government, naming Faheem Qureshi—whom he termed the “shadow Chief Minister,”—and digital media activist Akram Ali Mohammed, also known as Abu Aimal Azad Reporter.
Addressing the media, Reddy referred to reports stating that the Telangana High Court had dismissed a writ petition (No. 3114/2020) filed by Abu Aimal challenging the revocation of his passport by the Regional Passport Authority (RPA), Hyderabad. The passport, he said, was revoked under provisions of the Passports Act, 1967, following a confidential communication dated October 17, 2019, from the State Intelligence Department.
According to the information cited by Reddy, intelligence agencies had opined that Abu Aimal’s activities were “prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India,” and that law enforcement agencies were maintaining a personal file to monitor his activities. He claimed that the individual had been linked to cases under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Arms Act and the Foreigners Act, 1946.
Reddy further alleged that intelligence inputs had pointed to Abu Aimal’s purported links with ISI activist Mohammad Saleem Junaid and claimed recoveries including a pistol, ammunition and chemical substances. He also cited police assessments accusing him of fomenting communal disharmony through media broadcasts and interfering in sensitive intra-community issues, including Sunni-Shia tensions in 2018. Intelligence officials, he said, had warned of the likelihood of engagement with anti-social elements.
The BJP leader also alleged links between Abu Aimal and organisations such as Dargah Jihad o Shidat and TTSA, which he claimed were front organisations of banned outfits. He further claimed that Faheem Qureshi, another close associate of the Chief Minister, had multiple criminal cases registered against him at the Rajendranagar police station.
Reddy expressed shock over Abu Aimal being conferred the first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award in the Digital Media category by the Congress government on November 25, 2026. The award was presented by Minorities Welfare Minister Mohammed Azharuddin. “Honouring a person with such antecedents is deeply shameful and raises serious questions about the Chief Minister’s judgment,” he said, alleging that the decision was made at the behest of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Faheem Qureshi.
He claimed that both Abu Aimal and Qureshi wield enormous influence within the Chief Minister’s Office, alleging that officials routinely seek Qureshi’s intervention for postings. He further alleged that the duo played a key role in facilitating an understanding between the Congress leadership and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, particularly on issues related to Wakf land.
Citing statements made earlier by AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi on large-scale encroachment of Wakf land, Reddy alleged that no meaningful recovery had taken place since 2014, despite repeated claims. He accused the Congress government of allowing land grabbing, illegal settlements, and misuse of public land, including the alleged construction of a house for a mosque imam inside Public Gardens.
Ahead of the municipal elections, Reddy appealed to voters, including minorities, to “see through what he called corruption and misrule,” and urged them to vote for BJP candidates, asserting that only the BJP stood for “sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas and sabka prayaas.”
