It's TDP which strived for welfare of minorities, says Naidu

Guntur: The former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday told the minority community that it was the TDP that launched several welfare programmes for Muslims.

In a close interaction with the members of the Muslim community at Ponnur in Guntur district, Naidu said that when the TDP came to power in 1983, within two years, in 1985 itself, Minorities Corporation was formed keeping in view the welfare of the Muslims, while Urdu was recognised as second official language later.

"Haj House was set up to enable Muslims to go on Haj pilgrimage from Hyderabad and financial assistance was provided to them," he said. Maintaining that Urdu University was established by the TDP in Hyderabad and after the state is divided another Urdu University was set up in Kurnool, Chandrababu said that it is the TDP that provided Ramzan Tohfa for over 10 lakh Muslims. "Even Sankranti Kanuka was extended during the TDP rule to Muslim community," the former chief minister said adding that Hyderabad city never witnessed communal clashes after the TDP came to power.

The other schemes that were launched after 2014 for the welfare of the community, have now been cancelled, he said. "Why Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy could not continue the Shadi Tohfa (marriage gift) scheme though he had promised Rs 10 lakh under the scheme," he asked. There is no need for the basic qualification of SSC either to become a minister in his Cabinet or to become an advisor to the government but to be eligible to Shadi Tohfa scheme the beneficiary should have a basic qualification of SSC, he remarked in a sarcastic way. Chandrababu promised to revive all the schemes once the TDP is back in power.

Observing that he has encouraged higher education by setting up more engineering colleges and encouraged the IT sector only to provide better employment, the TDP supremo said that the 33 per cent reservation for women is yielding good results. "Now you can not question the government on any issue and if you raise any issue you should be ready to face cases," he said. Chandrababu Naidu called upon the Muslim community to react when such false cases are registered against anyone. "Tomorrow you may have to face the same fate if you do not react now," he observed. He expressed serious concern that the Wakf lands are being illegally occupied and promised to save the Wakf properties once the TDP is back in power and the pensions too will be paid on time. Maintaining that investments are moving out of Andhra Pradesh as the industrialists are scared of Jagan, he said he will bring back all the industries once the TDP comes back to power.