· TPCC Minority Declaration Draft Committee holds its last meeting
· Ahle Hadees and other minority groups announce support to Congress
· Over 150 Muslim organisations/groups gave suggestions for declaration: Shabbir
Hyderabad, October 19: Congress senior leader and TPCC Minorities Declaration Draft Committee Chairman Mohammed Ali Shabbir said that the Minorities’ Declaration of Congress party would guarantee the empowerment of minorities in Telangana State.
He was addressing a press conference after the Committee held its last open session at a private hotel in Hyderabad on Thursday. TPCC Vice President and Committee’s Convener Zafar Javeen, AICC Secretary Mansoor Ali Khan, Shaik Abdullah Sohail, B. Ezekiel, Uzma Shakir, Rahed Khan, Faheem Qureshi, Md Azmatullah and other senior leaders participated in the meeting.
Shabbir Ali said that more than 150 suggestions were received through online and offline modes and they include 15 prominent Muslim organisations. He said that representatives of several prominent Muslims, Christians, Jains, Dalit Muslims and others participated in the open session.
“Some of the important suggestions received by the Committee include an increase in the minorities welfare budget to Rs. 5,000 crore, a Minorities Sub-Plan on the lines of SC, ST Sub-Plans, hike in the budget for marriage scheme, a separate law to stop discrimination on religious grounds,” Shabbir Ali informed.
Shabbir Ali said that the previous Congress Govt implemented a 4% Muslim reservation which changed the lives of lakhs of poor Muslim families in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in the last 17-18 years. Further, several other initiatives taken by the previous Congress Government for the welfare of minorities have been discontinued by the present BRS Govt. He said of 56 minority engineering and professional colleges sanctioned by the previous Congress regime, as many as 50 colleges have been shut down by the BRS Govt. He also accused the BRS Govt of attempting to reduce the existing 4% Muslim reservation to 3%.
He said that the Congress would consider suggestions like granting permission to new medical, engineering and other professional colleges. Similarly, the suggestion for setting up a private minority university may also be included in the Declaration.
Shabbir Ali said that the suggestions received so far would be filtered and compressed into a concise document and will be handed over to TPCC President A. Revanth Reddy. He said that AICC Leader Rahul Gandhi might release the Minorities Declaration in the next few days.
TPCC Senior Vice President Zafar Javeed informed that the Committee so far had five meetings and this was the sixth meeting. He said that leaders of all leading prominent organisations like Jamat-e-Islami, Jamiat-ul-Ulema, Tameer-e-Millat, Tahreek Muslim Shabban, and others were consulted. He said all the suggestions would be incorporated in the Minorities Declaration. “This is happening for the first time that we are not saying what we want to give if we come to power. But we are asking the people themselves what they want the next government to do for them,” he said.
Zafar Javeed said that the Congress party got a quality response to its request for ideas and suggestions for the Minorities Declaration.
AICC Secretary Mansoor Ali Khan said that the Congress party was all set to return to power and minorities would support the Congress party in the coming Assembly elections.
Justice Ibrahim Siddiqui representing the Ahle Hadees sect announced support for the Congress party in the coming Assembly elections.
Sabir Peer of Jamiat-ul-Ulema E Hind TS, Ghouse Mohiuddin of Pvt Minority Institutions Association, Brother Varghese, Mohammed Saleem of JAC, social activist Sara Mathews, Osman Al Hajri, Shia leader Shaher Yaar Ali Khan and representatives of other prominent organisation participated in the open session.
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