Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu has announced that ₹1 lakh will be given as a wedding gift to the Muslims under Dulhan scheme soon after the TDP-BJP-JSP alliance comes to power in Andhra Pradesh.
“The TDP alone can ensure welfare of Muslim minorities and it is our top priority,” Mr. Naidu asserted while participating in the Ramzan festivities organised at Nidadavole in West Godavari district on April 11 (Thursday).
Recalling the initiatives taken during the TDP term for the welfare and development of Muslim minorities in the State, Mr. Naidu listed, among others, the setting up of the Muslim Welfare Corporation and Urdu University in Kurnool, and declaration of Urdu as the second official language.
It was during the TDP term that the Haj House had been built in Hyderabad and special flights arranged for Haj pilgrimage. It was again under the TDP rule that a Haj House was constructed in Vijayawada and financial assistance extended for Haj pilgrims, he said.
Stating that 90% works on the Haj House in Kadapa were completed during the TDP rule, Mr. Naidu said the YSRCP government failed to complete the remaining works.
The TDP government had introduced a sub-plan for Muslims to extend financial assistance to the needy. Muslim students wanting to pursue higher studies abroad were given a sum of ₹15 lakh, he said.
Besides giving Ramzan Tohfa, the TDP government had offered ₹50,000 as wedding gift for Muslims under the Dulhan scheme, he added.
“YSRCP president and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy promised to pay ₹1 lakh under the Dulhan scheme. Did he pay any amount?” Mr. Naidu asked, and promised to make it a reality soon after the alliance formed the government.
