Cong. empowered Muslims through reservation: Shabbir Ali

Hyderabad, Nov 23 (INN): Telangana PCC Vice-President Mohammed Ali Shabbir claimed that the Congress party has revolutionised the lives of lakhs of economically backward Muslims by providing them 4% reservation in jobs, education and politics.

Addressing the State Minorities Convention of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee at Imperial Gardens in Secunderabad on Sunday, Shabbir Ali explained the chronology of struggle for Muslim reservation. He said the initiative to give Muslim reservation was taken in 1994 when the then Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy Government issued GO Ms No 33 announcing reservation for Muslims along with 13 other backward classes. A BC Commission was also formed. However, he alleged that the TDP Government did not seek any report from the BC Commission despite giving six extensions.

"Within 56 days after returning to power in 2004, the Congress party gave 5% reservation for Muslims in the State. We strongly contested the case in different courts and ensured that the reservation gets implemented till the final judgment of the Supreme Court," he said.

Due to 4% reservation, poor Muslim students are getting 225 medical seats, 9023 engineering and thousands of seats in other professional courses. He said that total output of Muslim professionals due to reservation, so far, has crossed half-a-million, he said.

Shabbir Ali suspected the intentions of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao in fulfilling the promise of 12% reservation. He pointed out that Muslim population in Telangana has been mentioned as 11% in the budget speech. He said this mistake alone will be sufficient for the anti-reservation activists to challenge the 12% Muslim quota in a court of law. Describing the mistake as deliberate, he suspected a larger conspiracy to stop reservation by KCR in connivance with present Advocate General Ramakrishna Reddy, who had earlier contested the case against Muslim quota. He asked the Muslims of Telangana to be cautious against such moves and said that the Congress party would fight them tooth and nail.

Earlier, AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh, former Union Minister Salman Khursheed, AICC Minorities Department chairman Khursheed Ahmed, SC Dept chairman Koppula Raju and other leaders released brochures on "Golden Decade for Muslims India - 2004-2014" and "The Journey of Muslim Reservation".

Later, law student Mohd Saleem, MBBS pass out Khaja Atifuddin and MBBS student Nazia Nishant explained how they benefitted from the reservation policy. They told the gathering that they hailed from poor Muslim families and could not have got admissions in those colleges if the Congress would not have provided 4% reservation, fee-reimbursement and scholarships.

Addressing over 4,000 workers, who assembled from different parts of the State, AICC Secretary RC Khuntia said only Congress party was capable of representing 21 crore Muslims of the country. He said small parties like the MIM would never be able to represent the Muslims at national level. He said while the people have benefitted due to Congress policies, the party itself lost the recent elections. He asked the workers to approach the people and explain them the achievements done during Congress rule.

Former Union Minister Salman Khursheed appreciated the Muslim reservation model implemented in Andhra Pradesh and said AICC Rahul Gandhi wanted the same model to be replicated across the country. He said that the Muslims did not take away the rights of any other community, but Hindus themselves gave reservation to poor Muslims through constitution.

AICC Minorities Department National President Khursheed Ahmed Sayeed, Rajya Sabha MP V Hanumantha Rao, CLP leader in Telangana Legislative Council D Srinivas and other leaders also addressed the meeting.