Ansari: Qutb Shahi rule was secular, pragmatic

Stating that though Qutb Shahis were of Iranian origin, their approach to governance was pragmatic and secular, Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari on Thursday said that one can hope that Hyderabad’s inherited tradition of tolerance, coexistence, inclusiveness, culture effervescence would continue to signal its uniqueness and the city would remain an example for the country.

Mr Ansari was delivering the first Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah Memorial at the Maulana Azad National Urdu University where he said that contemporary Hyderabad has crafted a place for itself in the 21st Century with skills and success.

Referring to power struggles in medieval India, Mr Ansari said: “To a historian, or a student of geopolitics, the power equation of the Mughals and the Qutb Shahis on one hand, and of the Mughals and Safawids on the other, sheds interesting light on the rules of the game of political chess that have an abiding quality and transience limitations of time and geography’’.

“Quli Qutb Shah made a deliberate attempt to synthesise cultures in the Deccan imbibing in the people of Hyderabad tolerance, love of spectacle, and mildness of nature. He occupies a place in our history and his personality and contributions are studied with much benefit by anyone interested in the evolution of architecture, language and culture,” the Vice-President said. Leaders from the Congress and other parties continue to make a beeline to the ruling TRS.

Several Congress ZPTCs, sarpanchs and other cadres from Jadcherla in Mahbubnagar district joined the TRS in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Mohd. Mahmood Ali, health minister C. Laxma Reddy and agriculture minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy at the Ministers Quarters here on Thursday.

Welcoming the new entrants to the TRS fold, the ministers said that leaders and cadre from other parties were joining TRS impressed by the development and welfare schemes worth `40,000 crore initiated by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao in the state.

In another development, home minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy announced election schedule for the appointment of new TRS president. According to the announcement, nominations will be accepted from Friday. However, it is a certainty that incumbent party president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is all set to be reappointed at the party plenary.