Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday hit out at Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, popularly known as KCR, claiming that he has “unconstitutionally” reserved benefits for Muslims under the two-bedroom home scheme and education schemes.
Addressing a “Vijay Sankalp Sabha” rally at Chevella near Hyderabad, Shah further accused KCR of walking on AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi’s ‘agenda’.
“Once BJP government comes to power, this unconstitutional Muslim reservation will be scrapped. This right is of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBC and they will get their right and we will scrap Muslim reservation,” Shah said in the rally amid KCR-led government’s move to increase Muslim quotas from 4 per cent to 12 per cent.
The Basavaraj Bommai-led government in Karnataka, ahead of the May 10 Assembly elections, scrapped the 4 per cent OBC quota for Muslims and distributed it among two politically influential communities – Lingayats and Vokkaligas.
Shah also hit out at KCR for not celebrating the ‘Telangana Liberation Day” (the day the erstwhile Nizam state merged with Indian Union in 1948) and promised it will be celebrated in a grand manner at Hyderabad’s Parade Ground after BJP comes to power in the southern state. He further alleged that the Telangana government even does not show the complete map of Kashmir to appease Owaisi’s party. “This is disrespectful to India,” he said.
The union minister further slammed KCR saying that his dreams of becoming the Prime Minister of India will never be fulfilled, as the post is not “vacant”.
“KCR, in 2024 also Narendra Modi is going to become Prime Minister with full majority”, Shah said, adding, “Before that, there will be trailer of (assembly elections in Telangana) and elect a BJP government here.”
“Telangana people have come to know about you ( KCR) and your family corruption. Government funds are being misused in a big way…the people around you are the main accused and are involved in scams. To divert attention they made TRS to BRS,” Shah said about KCR recently renaming his founded party to Bharat Rashtra Samithi.
Meanwhile, Owaisi hit back at Shah’s claim saying that rather than taking potshots at him, he must speak about the “record-breaking inflation and unemployment”.
“Besides anti-Muslim hate speech BJP has no vision for Telangana. All they can offer is fake encounters, surgical strikes on Hyderabad, curfews, releasing criminals & bulldozers. Why do you hate people of Telangana so much?” Owaisi said in the tweet.
He added, “If Shah is serious about justice for SCs, STs & OBCs, then he should introduce a constitutional amendment to remove 50% quota ceiling.”
“Reservations for backward Muslim groups is based on empirical data. Please read the Sudhir Commission report. If you cannot, please ask someone who can. Reservations for Muslims are continuing under a stay from SC,” he wrote.
(With inputs from PTI)