• Shabbir Ali, other senior leaders address minorities’ meeting in Huzurabad
• KCR conspiring to remove 4% Muslim quota in jobs and education: Shabbir

Huzruabad, October 24, 2021: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Political Affairs Committee Convener & ex-Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir said that the TRS party has no moral right to seek votes of minority communities in Huzurabad bye-elections as it has failed to deliver on all promises like 12% Muslim reservation and did nothing in the last seven-and-a-half years.

Shabbir Ali, along with Congress candidate Balamoori Venkat, MLC T. Jeevan Reddy, MLA Seethakka and other senior leaders, addressed a minorities’ meeting at Sri Venkat Sai Function Hall, K.C. Camp, Huzurabad on Sunday as part of the Huzurabad bye-elections campaign. The meeting was also addressed by minority leaders including TPCC Spokesperson Syed Nizamuddin, Hyderabad Congress Minorities Dept Chairman Sameer Waliullah, Warangal Congress Minorities Dept Chairman Mohammed Ayub, Osman Khan and Mateen Shareef.

Shabbir Ali said that the TRS Govt has been cheating the minorities since it came to power in 2014. “Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao has betrayed the Muslims on multiple counts. He promised 12% Muslim reservation within four months after coming to power. But the promise remained unfulfilled in the last seven-and-a-half years. In fact, KCR, in collaboration with RSS and BJP, is trying to sabotage the existing 4% Muslim reservation given by the previous Congress Government in 2004-05,” he said.

The Congress leader said that the Congress party brought freedom for the country and governed the country on the basis of secularism. However, he said that the BJP Govt at the Centre was trying to take away religious freedom by targetting people on what they eat, how they dress and live their personal lives. He said Muslims have participated in the freedom movement and thousands of them sacrificed their lives. But now the RSS and BJP were questioning their patriotism. He said Muslims do not need any certificate from the BJP to prove their love for the country. He said several controversial laws were introduced aimed at interfering in the Muslim Personal Law.

Stating that the TRS and BJP were two sides of the same coin, he said TRS and BJP were playing the game of ‘Galli Mein Kushti, Delhi Mein Dosti’. “BJP leaders talk about KCR’s corruption, but their government at the Centre never ordered CBI or ED investigation into the allegations. TRS supported BJP and Modi Govt in all major decisions including Triple Talaq Bill, NRC; NIA Amendment & UAPA Bill and other decisions aimed at changing the Shariah,” he said.

“Will you vote for parties who wants to change your Personal Law, seize religious freedom and end secularism?” he asked

Listing out the failures of TRS Govt, Shabbir Ali said not even 50% of allocated funds were spent for the minorities’ welfare and all institutions, dealing with Muslims and other minorities, were sabotaged. “KCR Govt stopped Fee Reimbursement and Scholarship which forced nearly 1.29 lakh poor minority students, to discontinue higher education. TRS Govt demolished six mosques, including two mosques in the Secretariat premises,” he said.

He said that the Secretariat mosques were demolished to satisfy KCR’s superstitious beliefs as wanted his son KTR to become the next Chief Minister. He asked people to deny entry to TRS leaders and other religious leaders in their areas as they remained silent on the demolition of Secretariat mosques. He said that the case of Secretariat mosques was no different from the Babri Masjid. He said that the Muslim community fought a long legal battle for Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. However, he said two mosques and one temple in the Secretariat premises were demolished although there was no dispute of any kind. He appealed to the people to punish KCR in Huzurabad bye-elections by defeating TRS-BJP combine and voting for Congress candidate Balamoori Venkat.

Shabbir said that the TRS Govt did not give a single rupee loan to minorities since it came to power. KCR Govt closed almost 90% of minority institutions and the remaining 10% of institutions are not getting any support. KCR ignored Muslims in the appointment of the new Public Service Commission, new Vice-Chancellors, etc., He said that ‘Shaadi Mubarak’ and residential schools were only hype. He said the scheme was originally introduced by the previous Congress regime and the present TRS Govt only enhanced the amount by reducing the number of beneficiaries. Similarly, he said a few thousand students were given admissions in residential schools but lakh of others are unable to get primary education due to the closure of thousands of government schools.

“Huzrabad Assembly bye-elections is an opportunity for you to change the politics of Telangana State. Your support for Congress party and vote for our candidate Balamoori Venkat will send a strong message that the minorities will no longer tolerate cheating and deception by TRS or other pseudo-secular parties,” he said.