By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
Hyderabad: Political reservation, Rs 12,000 crore budget and special sub plans for minorities were the major demands of Muslim Congressmen of Andhra Pradesh at the minorities convention organized by the minority cell of the party here on Wednesday.
Those flaring demands might have been the reason why chief minister and Pradesh Congress chief refused the invitation given to them seven days prior to the convention.
The growing distance of AP Congress with Muslims was evident in the hall of the convention where all the Muslim Congress leaders were up in arms against the ongoing treatment to the Muslims in the party.
The Prakasham hall in the Gandhi Bhavan headquarters of AP Congress was packed to capacity with Muslim leaders of the party from across the state. Several minorities district chiefs of Congress were also present in the hall and had travelled all the way to Hyderabad from various districts in the hope that there political problems could be addressed by the chief minster or at least to the state Congress chief.
But all their hopes died when minorities welfare minster Mr. Mohd Ahmedullah announced that chief minister and Pradesh Congress chief are busy in some party work at jubilee hall just 2.k.m. away from the meeting point and will not be attending the convention.
Observing the mood of the crowd Mr. Ahmedullah promised that he will personally meet chief minister and convey the demands and resolutions of the Congress minority convention.
Minority minister in his speech stressed for a special sub plan for Muslims as it is there for SCs and STs.
Former electricity minister Mohd Ali Shabbir was all guns out against the central and state Congress governments for not being able to win cases of minority’s reservation in the AP high court. He said, “High court observed that central govt. did not seem serious on the issue of reservation, as the case is not properly represented before the court. I had written to the P.M regarding this issue conveying my protest.” Former electricity minster also batted for the 4% reservation for Muslims under BCE category in the local elections especially in Panchayat and local bodies.”
Mohd Khaleequr Rehman, another Congress leader from the state urged the state govt. to implement the 15 point program for the minorities in the state. He observed, “The situation of Muslims in the state is grim, it is far worse than SCs and so there is an urgent need that state govt. take cognizance of this fact and implement prime minister’s 15 point program.”
Mohd Ilyaas Seth, chairman of AP Congress minorities department in his presidential address said that Muslims are badly underrepresented in the state Congress, he asked the central leadership to take this issue seriously. He welcomed the state govt.’s step of increasing minority budget to Rs 482 crore, but still, he said, it is insufficient and demanded that it should be increased to Rs 1,200 crore. He also said if we go by the population percentage of minorities in the state then their budget should be Rs 12,000 crore.
Former AP Congress chief D. Srinivas and AICC secretary K.B. Krishna Murthy also spoke on the occasion. Mr. Srinivas heralded state Congress govt. for implementing 4% reservation for minorities and said it was the work done by the party not by any single individual (targeting late Y.S.R. Reddy indirectly). Mr. Krishna Murthy in his speech heaped praise on Gandhi family for the work done by them for the ‘progress’ of Muslims and saving the ‘secularism’ of the nation. He even cautioned Muslims not to go away from Congress to keep right wing political parties from power. In the end of his speech he also assured the Congress Muslim workers that justice will be done to them, and he will personally advise chief minister to accept the resolutions of this convention.