Hyderabad parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday claimed that each year minorities have been given benefits to the tune of up to ₹6,000 crore in Telangana, and criticised the Congress party’s promise of a minorities’ welfare budget of ₹4,000 crore.
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president was addressing a public meeting in Vikarabad where he listed the spending on minorities in that district. “Each year, if you see, Maamu [Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao] is spending at least ₹ 5,000 crore to ₹ 6,000 crore. Add Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Beema, Arogyasree, and KCR kits. And then Congress speaks of [an annual budget of] ₹4,000 crore,” Mr Owaisi said, adding that after the elections, his party would meet the Chief Minister and seek an increase of up to ₹ 10,000 crore. “Inshallah, we will get this done.”
Mr Owaisi demanded that the government increase the Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutions Society junior colleges from around 200 to 300. He also sought 500 Urdu medium schools.
The Hyderabad parliamentarian addressed criticism of the AIMIM for not fielding a candidate from Goshamahal Assembly constituency and alleged that it was the Congress that split the vote there. He pointed out that while the Bharatiya Janata Party got over 61,000 votes, the TRS secured about 44,000 votes and the Congress got 26,288 votes. “You are splitting votes and blaming me?” he said.
Mr Owaisi continued his attacks on Telangana Congress chief Revanth Reddy of having his roots in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Referring to Mr Reddy as “RSS Anna”, Mr Owaisi said that he saw him work for G. Kishan Reddy in the past.
“Gandhi Bhavan is being controlled by Mohan Bhagwat. Congress palm is in the RSS hands. He is speaking about Asaduddin Owaisi’s sherwani. I want to remind you that Hitler killed 60 lakh Jews, an act which we condemn. He sent them to gas chambers. They did not kill them at one go. Hitler attacked their clothes first. He used to comment on their clothes. Then came the kristallnacht moment. This man [Revanth Reddy] is repeating Hitler’s methods,” Mr Owaisi alleged, adding that the synonym of sherwani is pareshani (trouble).
