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Congress releases booklet on party’s contribution in minorities’ welfare

Hyderabad: The Congress party on Monday launched a booklet on the contribution of the previous Congress Government in the welfare of minorities in undivided Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana).

The booklet, compiled by former minister & ex-Leader of Opposition in Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir, was released by Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President & MP A. Revanth Reddy at a programme organised by Shabbir Ali at his residence in Jubilee Hills on Monday. Nearly 200 Congress leaders and workers from Kamareddy district who enrolled more than 500 members in the Congress party’s digital membership drive in Kamareddy, Yellareddy, Jukkal and Banswada constituencies, were also felicitated on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Revanth Reddy said that it was the previous Congress Govt which implemented 4% reservation for Muslims in jobs and education in 2004-05. He said the 4% reservation has benefitted nearly 20 lakh Muslims in both the Telugus States in the last 17 years. He praised the role played by Shabbir Ali in introducing the 4% Muslim reservation. As the then minister in the cabinet of Dr. Y.S. Rajashekhar Reddy, Shabbir Ali ensured that the Congress party fulfills the promise made by Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the 2004 election manifesto. He said that the Congress party implemented several programmes to ensure socio-economic, educational and economic empowerment of minorities.

Shabbir Ali, in his speech, said that the booklet has been compiled to create awareness among the minorities on what Congress party did for them when it was in power. He recalled that the Congress Govt created the country’s first Minorities Welfare Department in 1993-94 and he had the privilege of being India’s first Minister for Minorities Welfare. Further, he said separate budget allocation for the minorities’ welfare was made in 1993-94 in the budget speech of then Finance Minister Dr. K. Rosaiah. Infact, he said the process to give reservation to Muslims was initiated in 1994 when Dr. Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy was the Chief Minister. However, this process was stopped after Congress lost elections in 1994. He said that the Congress party made a promise of giving 5% reservation in the 2004 manifesto and it was implemented in just 58 days after coming to power.

Shabbir Ali said that only Congress party could guarantee empowerment of minorities. He said that the growth of minorities was stopped whenever the Congress party lost elections. He said that the minorities’ welfare took a backseat during the TDP and TRS rule. He said Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao had promised to implement 12% Muslim reservation within four months after coming to power. He said the promise remained unfulfilled even after seven years and CM KCR has now stopped talking about it. Similarly, he said the Fee Reimbursement and scholarships for minorities have been stopped by the TRS Govt. He said not a single minority youth was given a loan by the TRS Govt in the last seven-and-a-half years.

The Congress leader said that the booklet contains detailed information on various schemes implemented by the Congress party for the empowerment of minorities. It also presents a broader picture of battle for 4% Muslim reservation which is still going on in the Supreme Court. He announced that the booklet would be distributed across the Telangana State to enlighten the common people about the Congress party’s welfare schemes which benefited over two million poor minorities.TPCC Working President Anjan Kumar Yadav, AICC Secretary A. Sampath Kumar and other senior leaders were present on the occasion. (INN)

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