Azad assails TRS govt for failure on Muslim quota

​Hyderabad: Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad on Thursday said that the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government had deliberately cheated Muslims of the State by assuring 12 per cent reservations to them. 

Speaking on the issues of Muslims during his visit to Hyderabad, he said that though caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao knew very well that the proposal would not stand legal scrutiny, yet, he went ahead with it only to hoodwink the minorities. 

He said that it was the Congress which had brought the reservation facility to the Muslims. Narrating the sequence of events in this regard, he said that the promise on five per cent reservations to Muslims was made in the third phase campaign of the Congress in the 2004 elections.

“I was general secretary incharge of the then combined Andhra Pradesh in 2003-04. We have a poll arrangement with Telangana Rashtra Samithi. We had to deny tickets to some of Congress leaders because of that. So, we promised revival of Legislative Council. We have also promised reservations to Muslims since this would bring them to us,” Azad said. 

The Congress promised reservations to Muslims since they were in implementation in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala at that time. The Karnataka had given four per cent reservations though the Muslim population there is less than the one in Andhra Pradesh. 

He said at the time of 2004 elections, the Muslims were divided between the Telugu Desam Party and the Congress and hence the Congress promised reservations to win their support. He said that the promise was made at a public meeting and he had immediately called on Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, the leader of campaign of that elections, and conveyed the information. 

“I told YSR that I have made a promise on reservations and if the media questions on that do not say that you are not aware of it,” he said. Azad said that the Congress fulfilled the promise immediately after coming to power.  He said that the present Leader of Opposition in Council Mohammad Shabbir Ali spearheaded the arguments in favour of the decision in Assembly and Council of combined Andhra Pradesh and ensured that the promise is implemented. 

He said, however, the courts have rejected the decision stating that it was an executive order. The then AP government appointed a commission and the commission recommended for four per cent reservation. The decision is still in vogue. However, the present government promised 12 per cent reservations. 

“How the present caretaker Chief Minister thought that the courts which have rejected five per cent reservations would allow 12 per cent reservations? He knew well that the promise could not be implemented,” he said. He alleged that the caretaker Chief Minister had been showing artificial sympathy towards the Muslims and the community should realise about it. “This is nothing but cheating,” Azad said. 

Stating that a leader should not make false promises, he said that a Chief Minister should not make promise of emptying the Hussain Sagar in a month and fill it with milk which is impossible. He said that a leader should not make any false promise not only to Muslims but to any community whether farmers, youth and others. He alleged that due to the apathy of the government towards the Muslims the number of Muslim students studying in engineering colleges went down to 4,000 from 18,000 per year. 

“The Prime Minister says that Sab Ka Saath, Sab Ka Vikas. But when you are cutting down the hand of Muslim boys how would they receive the support,” he criticised. Speaking on the relations with the MIM, Azad said that it was a party that moves along with the party in power. He described MIM as a ‘Sarkari Party.’