Congress & TRS engaging in minority appeasement: Shah

Adilabad: BJP president Amit Shah 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 dispensation's 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. Rs 20 lakh will be given for education of the students of minority

communities. Congress will build separate hospitals for them.

"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 channel's report, and calling the Congress manifesto "unconstitutional".

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.