Congress senior leader and TPCC Minorities Declaration Draft Committee Chairman Mohammed Ali Shabbir said that the Minorities’ Declaration of Congress party would guarantee the empowerment of minorities in Telangana State.
He was addressing a press conference after the Committee held its last open session in Hyderabad .
Shabbir Ali said that more than 150 suggestions were received through online and offline modes and they include 15 prominent Muslim organisations. He said that representatives of several prominent Muslims, Christians, Jains, Dalit Muslims and others participated in the open session.
“Some of the important suggestions received by the Committee include an increase in the minorities welfare budget to Rs. 5,000 crore, a Minorities Sub-Plan on the lines of SC, ST Sub-Plans, hike in the budget for marriage scheme, a separate law to stop discrimination on religious grounds,” Shabbir Ali informed.
Shabbir Ali said that the previous Congress Govt implemented a 4% Muslim reservation which changed the lives of lakhs of poor Muslim families in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in the last 17-18 years.
Further, several other initiatives taken by the previous Congress Government for the welfare of minorities have been discontinued by the present BRS Govt. He said of 56 minority engineering and professional colleges sanctioned by the previous Congress regime, as many as 50 colleges have been shut down by the BRS Govt. He also accused the BRS Govt of attempting to reduce the existing 4% Muslim reservation to 3%.
