Hyderabad, Aug 13 (PTI) Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday said Hindus and Muslims are like his two eyes and that the state government is making efforts to ensure that Muslims get the welfare benefits that Hindus have access to.
“For me, Hindus and Muslims are not different. Hindus and Muslims are like my two eyes. Our government is working to ensure that the Muslims get what Hindus are getting,” he said.
Speaking at a ‘Minorities Excellence Summit’ here, he also said some people speak as if minorities are anti-national and try to trigger animosities among different communities.
However, when the state government recruited 11,000 teachers, he was of the view that minorities would impart patriotism to students if they become teachers, Revanth Reddy said.
Reddy said that the erstwhile Congress government in the undivided Andhra Pradesh, led by Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, had provided four per cent reservations to minorities in 2007.
“Congress means secular. Congress means Hindus and Mulsims are two eyes. Without limiting itself to mere words but to show it in action, (Congress government), under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, gave four per cent reservation to minority brothers and sisters,” he said.
Without naming anyone or party, he said some parties and some persons tried to remove the reservations provided to minorities, he said.
Recalling Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s comments in Telangana in the past that BJP would remove quota to minorities if the party came to power, Reddy said Congress leaders had then challenged the former to remove the quota not in Telangana but even in Gujarat.
Congress had announced then that the party would fight BJP from ‘sadak to sansad’ (from roads to parliament) and to keep secularism alive, he said.
Though the Muslim candidates fielded by Congress did not win in the assembly polls, he ensured their representation by inducting Minorities Affairs Minister Mohammad Azharuddin into the cabinet, he said.
He said minorities are the biggest beneficiaries in the state government’s scheme of free power up to 200 units.
The state government provided Group-1 rank jobs to boxer Nikhat Zareen and cricketer Mohammad Siraj, he said.
As Siraj lacked the requisite educational qualifications, the government facilitated his appointment by exempting the rules in the cabinet, he said. PTI SJR SJR ADB
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