HYDERABAD
The Congress party has decided to launch a massive outreach programme to connect with the minorities across the State and get their support in the next Assembly elections.
The decision was taken in the first meeting of the ‘Minorities Declaration Committee’ held at Gandhi Bhavan on Monday.
The committee, chaired by TPCC PAC convener & former minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir as its chairman, was attended by AICC incharge Manikrao Thakre, AICC secretary Mansoor Ali Khan and others.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting on Monday, Mr. Shabbir said that the 4% Muslim reservation and other welfare schemes introduced by the previous Congress regime benefitted over 20 lakh poor Muslim families in 2005-06. However, he said that the welfare of minorities came to a halt after TRS came to power in 2014.
He accused Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao of completely neglecting the minorities’ welfare by depriving funds and manpower while doing away with representation of minorities from all government bodies as part of a larger conspiracy. He pointed out there were six Muslim MLCs during the Congress regime. But under the KCR regime, their number got reduced to just one. Similarly, there is not a single Muslim among the 11 Vice-Chancellors, and the community has no representation in the Telangana Public Service Commission (TSPSC), he said.
Mr. Shabbir Ali said that the Minorities Declaration Committee would interact with Muslim and Christian religious organisations, professionals, managements of minority institutions, civil society members and all other stakeholders. He said the suggestions of all sections of the minority communities would be collected, polished and compiled to prepare a draft declaration. He said a special desk would be set up at Gandhi Bhavan to receive representations from various groups and individuals in person.
Mr. Shabbir said that the draft of the Minorities’ Declaration will be ready by this month-end although no deadline has been set for the same. He said that the declaration would be unveiled by top leaders from the AICC next month.
The meeting was attended among others by TPCC senior vice-president Zafar Javeed, working president Mohammed Azharuddin, Minorities Department chairman Shaik Abdullah Sohail, Azmathullah Hussaini, Obedullah Kothwal, Deepak John, Uzma Shakir, Prof M.D. Riyaz, Mohammed Faheem Qureshi, Khusro Pasha Biyabani, Ezekiel Birdudugadda and Rashed Khan.
