Adilabad/Nalgonda (Telangana): BJP President Amit Shah Wednesday attacked Telangana’s TRS government and the Congress on Monday over ‘minority appeasement’, claiming the Congress party’s poll manifesto for the state assembly polls largely focused on the welfare of Muslims.
Addressing an election rally here, Shah said the TRS dispensations decision to raise Muslim quotas in government jobs and state-run educational institutions to 12 per cent resulted in blocking of a proposal for hiking reservations for tribals.
He said the K Chandrasekhar Rao government also talked about separate IT corridors for religious minorities. Quoting a national TV news channel, the BJP president said it leaked the Congress manifesto that envisaged quotas for minorities in government contracts.
“And if you are not from minority community, you will not get contracts. Under a special package Rs 20 lakh will be given for education of students of minority communities. Congress will build separate hospitals for them and give free electricity to mosques and churches and not temples.”
“Urdu teachers quota will be decided, and if you do not know Urdu, you cannot become a teacher in Telangana,” Shah said, citing the TV channels report, and calling the Congress manifesto unconstitutional.
He further said that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, “in the remote control run government,” had also said that the first right on the nations resources was for minorities, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the poor should have the first right over them.
The Congress manifesto, which was released yesterday, however, promised free power supply for all temples, mosques, churches and other places of worship. It envisaged judicial power for wakf Board and a sub-plan for religious minorities. It also spoke about releasing funds for repair of temples,mosques and churches by introducing a proper system.
In his speech, Shah wanted to know if the grand alliance led by the Congress, and caretaker chief minister Rao can ‘liberate’ Telangana from AIMIM of Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, a vocal critic of the BJP.
“This Rahul Baba, who is touring Telangana, can he liberate you from MIM? Can his allies TJS and CPI? Will they liberate you from the MIM? Can KCR liberate you from MIM?” Shah asked the audience.
“It is only the BJP under Modiji that Telangana can develop with pride and self-respect,” he said. He alleged the KCR government does not celebrate 17 September, the day the princely state of Hyderabad merged with the Indian union in 1948, as Telangana Liberation Day out of fear of the Owaisis.
Shah promised Telangana Liberation Day will be celebrated in every village if the BJP was voted to power. The BJP chief said he would have needed a passport to visit Adilabad had legendary Gond leader Komaram Bheem not revolted against the Nizams rule.
Bheem was martyred in 1940 while fighting against the Nizam for forest rights of native people. He alleged that KCR (as Rao is popularly known as) destroyed Telangana during his regime, and the debt has gone up by about Rs 2 lakh crore and accused him of not developing the state and failing in fulfilling promises.
Shah wanted to know why KCRs promises of building an airstrip in Adilabad, construction of 18 new lakes, town hall and two bedroom houses for poor were not fulfilled.
He claimed while funds under Pradhanmantri Aawas Yojana were not properly utilised in Telangana, in BJP-ruled Maharashtra, over one lakh houses were built under PMAY and handed over to the beneficiaries.
Of the Rs 80 crore Rao had promised to spend for tribal welfare, his government did not have an account of spending even Rs 8 crore, he claimed. The BJP leader said Rao chose to keep Telangana out of the Ayushman Bharat scheme as he ‘feared’ it would further boost Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity.
Over 3.5 lakh people benefited from the scheme in the last two months, but the poor of Telangana were left out, he said. He said that after BJP government is formed in Telangana, a cement factory would be opened in Adilabad.
The party would stop illegal felling of trees and make Telangana a green state. Cotton would be purchased at Minimum Support Price by the government, he said. Shah accused Rao of not honouring his promise of making a Dalit the chief minister of Telangana and wanted to know if he would project a dalit or tribal as chief ministerial candidate of the TRS.
“I know he will not do that because he wants to elevate his son and daughter, he said “Out of fear of Modiji’s popularity and intention to settle his family members, KCR has imposed this election (decision to advance polls) on people of Telangana,” he said.
Once a BJP government is formed in Telangana, a state-level policy to give slum dwellers pucca houses would be implemented. Addressing a rally in Nalgonda, Shah claimed there is no difference between the Congress and TRS – both parties have no faith in internal democracy, and both indulge in the politics of appeasement, he said.
On AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi’s recent remark that whoever became the chief minister of Telangana or undivided Andhra Pradesh would have to bow before his party, Shah urged voters to elect a BJP government in Telangana.
“This KCR and Congress have knelt (down) before the Majlis (AIMIM). You install a BJP government as it is only the BJP which can protect Telangana’s pride and ensure respect for the state.”
Shah and senior state BJP leaders also took part in road shows in Amberpet and Musheerabad constituencies of Hyderabad.