The BRS working president says the Congress planned to merge communities, including minorities with BCs, which would harm the former.
Published Nov 10, 2023 | 11:02 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 10, 2023 | 11:02 PM
BRS working president and Telanganan’s Minister for Industry KT Rama Rao has said that the Congress’ “Minority Declaration” for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state would divide its Muslims and Backward classes.
He told reporters on Friday, 10 November, “The Congress’ minority declaration aligns with the BJP’s ideology, as both parties make similar promises. It is the Pasmanda Muslims the BJP is talking about, and the Congress is following them. The Constitution of India recognises Islam, Sikhism, and Christianity as minority religions.”
However, the Congress declaration suggested merging all communities — including minorities — into Backward Classes (BCs) through a caste census, he said.
“This move could be detrimental to both minorities and BCs, leading to the elimination of minority welfare departments, minority commissions, and the dissolution of minority corporations,” added KTR.
He recalled that in 2006-07, a BC-E category was established solely for reservation purposes, but not every Muslim would fall into this category.
Thus, a suspicion could arise that the Congress was aiming to create discord between communities, he said.
He added that the past association of state Congress chief A Revanth Reddy with RSS ideology raises questions about the declaration’s origin, making it appear as if it were crafted in the BJP office.
Rama Rao insisted that the Congress’ Minority Declaration was half-baked. Even if a caste census were conducted, merging minorities into BCs might cause tension among BC leaders, who could resist sharing their reservation benefits, he claimed.
The Congress’ insincerity towards both communities was apparent in this context, he added.
آئین نے مسلمانوں، عیسائیوں اور سکھوں کو اقلیت کا درجہ دیا ہے۔ لیکن کانگریس پارٹی آر ایس ایس کے نظریے کے زیر اثر اقلیتوں کی اس حیثیت کو چھیننا چاہتی ہے۔ ایک بار اقلیتوں کو بی سی کے طور پر شمار کیا گیا، وزارت اقلیتی بہبود، اقلیتی کمیشن اور دیگر اداروں کو ختم کر دیا جائے گا۔ وہ 4… pic.twitter.com/51NA4LXXOH
— BRS Party (@BRSparty) November 10, 2023
Examining the budget during the Congress’ rule in united Andhra Pradesh from 2004 to 2014, he said the minority welfare budget started at ₹39 crore in 2004-05, with 42 percent allocated to present-day Telangana.
By 2013-14, the budget increased to ₹509 crore, with around ₹200 crore directed to Telangana, he noted.
Over 10 years, the Congress spent ₹930 crore on minority welfare. In contrast, since the formation of Telangana in 2014, a total of ₹10,140 crore has been allocated for minority welfare, highlighting a substantial increase under the new administration, the minister said.
Questioning the educational qualification of Congress leaders, Rama Rao said, “In the Minority Declaration, they are also misleading people on which word should be used. They write Abdul Kalam, but they are not sure whether it is APJ Abdul Kalam or Moulana Abdul Kalam Azad.”
He added: “We always made a point that ours was not a religious reservation but based on socio-economic considerations. There were no promises in our manifesto, but minority schools and colleges have been established in Telangana.”
KTR also said the Congress fielded weak candidates against BJP leaders like Raja Singh, Bandi Sanjay, and Dharmapuri Arvind because it wanted the saffron party to win in the seats from which these politicians were contesting.
He claimed that Telangana Chief Minister and BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao would win from both Gajwel and Kamareddy, defeating TPCC chief Revanth Reddy in the former. In Goshmahal,
“I am 100 percent confident that the BRS will defeat Raja Singh this time,” he added about the incumbent Goshamahal MLA.
