By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh Assembly witnessed an uproarious scene on 29th February over failure of the state government to implement the Prime Minister’s 15-point programme for Muslims.
The house was adjourned two hours before schedule, following the Opposition’s furore over the issue. The government found itself in a tight spot when Akbaruddin Owaisi, leader of Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen demanded it to come up with evidence that the program has been implemented in the state. He remained unrelenting even after Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and Minorities Welfare Minister Mohd. Ali Shabbir offered replies.
The issue was raised during Question Hour. While Owaisi was demanding proof of implementation of the 15-point program, Shabbir continued giving statistics about the benefits to Muslims under the 4% reservation system.
Chief Minister Reddy said the government had taken several steps for the welfare of the minority. He said while the minorities formed 9.2% of the state’s population, the previous Telugu Desam government allocated merely Rs 2 crore for scholarships to minority students. His government, Reddy continued, reversed this by increasing the allocation gradually, taking it to Rs 125 crore.