Welfare Party's Andhra Pradesh unit launched

Hyderabad, May 26 (IANS) Welfare Party of India (WPI) Sunday launched its Andhra Pradesh unit, promising to usher in value-based politics and change the system.

Addressing a huge gathering at Nizam College Grounds here, the leaders of the party vowed to work for the welfare of the people, irrespective of religion and caste.

Mujtaba Farooq, the party's national president, said their objective was to change the system. He contended that the party was formed with the slogan of representing ethics and redefining politics.

He said the party had already launched its units in 12 states and planned to have its presence in all the states in two years.

Qasim Rasool Ilyas, general secretary of WPI, said the party would strive to create welfare state, meeting the basic necessities of people and providing them education and health.

He said it was not another addition to political parties in the country. He also made it clear that there would be no room for criminals and mafia in the party.

As the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) has a strong presence in Andhra Pradesh, especially in Hyderabad, the WPI leaders made it clear that they were not against MIM.

Lalitha Nair, vice-president of the WPI, said it fielded few candidates in the recently held elections in Karnataka. "Losing an election is not shameful but distributing money for votes is really shameful," she said.

Malik Mutasim Khan, president of Andhra Pradesh state unit of WPI, said the mainstream political parties should correct themselves, root out the evils plaguing the polity and serve people or should make way for other parties.