TDP ensured Minority welfare, will restore old schemes: Chandrababu

GUNTUR: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President, Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Friday told the Minority community that it was his party that launched several welfare programmes for Muslims.

In an interaction with the members of the Muslim community at Ponnur in Guntur district, Chadrababu Naidu said that, within two years of the TDP coming to power in 1983, 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 claimed. Maintaining that Urdu University was established by the TDP in Hyderabad and, after the State was divided, another Urdu University was set up in Kurnool, Chandrababu said that it was the TDP that provided Ramzan Tofa for over 10 lakh Muslims.

"Even Sankranthi Kanuka was extended during the TDP rule to the 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 alleged.

"Why Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy, could not continue the Pelli Kanuka 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 Pelli Kanuka scheme, the beneficiary should have a basic qualification of SSC, he remarked in a sarcastic way. The TDP chief 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, Naidu said that the 33 percent reservation for women was yielding good results. "Now you cannot question the Government on any issue and if you raise any issue, you shall be ready to face cases," he alleged.

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 situation if you do not react now," he felt. He expressed concern that the Wakf lands were being encroached upon and promised to save the Wakf properties once the TDP is back in power and that the pensions too would be paid on time.

Maintaining that investments were moving out of Andhra Pradesh as the industrialists were scared of Jagan, he said that he would bring back all the industries once the TDP came back to power.