The Congress party has challenged Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to announce that TRS would not seek Muslims votes in next elections if 12% quota promise is not fulfilled, and also vowed to expose the ‘secret friendship’ between KCR and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the party would conduct a door-to-door campaign to expose the failure of TRS Government in implementing promised 12% reservation in jobs and education.
He was speaking at a meeting conducted to mark the 139th birth anniversary celebrations of the first Education Minister of Independent India, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. He said after dragging the issue for three-and-a-half years on one pretext or the other, Mr. Rao is now putting the onus on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He pointed out that Mr. Rao supported BJP’s presidential candidate Ramnath Kovind much before the BJP sought support.
Earlier, a ‘Walk for 12% Muslim reservations’ from Charminar to Gandhi Bhavan was conducted on Saturday where hundreds of party activists and prominent Muslims participated. The party activists demanded the government to keep its promise.
Senior leaders like AICC secretary R.C. Khuntia, CLP leader K. Jana Reddy, former Ministers -- Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Sarve Satyanarayana, Danam Nagender, former Mayor Banda Karthika Reddy, Youth Congress president Anil Kumar Yadav, Siasat Urdu daily news editor Amer Ali Khan, MBT leader Amjed Ullah Khan participated in it. Mr. Khuntia said Mr. Rao never mentioned in his election promise that he would implement quota if it was approved by the Central Government. He is trying to mislead Muslims with conditions on his promise now rather than taking full responsibility, he said.
GHCC Minorities Department Chairman Shaik Abdullah Sohail set a deadline of June 2, 2018 for the promise to be fulfilled and said that the party would organise awareness programmes for the next 203 days.
The Congress leaders paid rich tributes to Maulana Azad recalling how he became the president of Indian National Congress at the young age of 35 years. As Independent India's first education minister, Maulana Azad laid the foundation for a strong and quality education system which resulted in the formation of premier institutions like IITs and IIMs, they said.
