Telugu Desam Party (TDP) State general secretary Md. Nazeer has alleged that the YSR Congress Party government has cheated the Muslim community by promising to double the benefits under various schemes given to minorities but failing to implement them.
Addressing a media conference here on Friday, Mr. Nazeer said that a private person had filed a petition in the High Court yesterday saying that grave injustice was being done to Muslims under the YSR Congress Party government. The Judge was shocked by the reply of the government pleader that the State government has no money to run welfare schemes. The Judge sought a written affidavit to that effect, Mr. Nazeer said.
The TDP leader recalled that during his padayatra before the general elections, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy had held a meeting of Muslim and Christian minorities in Visakhapatnam city and promised to enhance the amount under ‘Dulhan scheme’, under which the Chandrababu Naidu government was extending ₹50,000 to meet the wedding expenses of Muslim girls, to ₹1 lakh, if his party was voted to power.
Mr. Nazeer said that there were over one crore families in Andhra Pradesh of which there were about 15 lakh Muslim families. The TDP government had issued G.O. no. 67 on April 29, 2015, for the implementation of ‘Dulhan’ scheme. Since then 38,125 Muslim girls were given ₹50,000 each on their wedding. In addition to this, various benefits were extended to Muslims through the Minorities Corporation for setting up small businesses in the rural areas and small towns. Funds were sanctioned for repair of dargahs and mosques.
