Ignoring Muslims proved costly for Congress: Shabbir Ali

Deputy CLP leader in Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Monday asked the Congress High Command to stop ignoring the leaders of minority communities within the party.

Presenting his report on the Group Discussion on “Strategy To Win Confidence of Minorities”, Shabbir Ali said more than 50 workers and leaders who participated in the discussion were unanimous in complaining that the leaders of Muslim and other minority communities were ignored by the Congress party during its 10-year rule. He said that the Muslim were either accommodated in the Minorities Department of the PCC or nominated on posts in Minorities Welfare Department. He asked as to why the potential of Muslim leaders was not fully utilized. There was only one Muslim minister in the cabinet of both K Rosaiah and Kiran Kumar Reddy and the Muslim ministers were always confined to the Department of Minorities Welfare. “Why a Muslim leader cannot become the Chairman of Agriculture, Revenue of Finance Committee?” he asked.

Shabbir Ali demanded that Muslims should be given due representation in the party from booth-level to the State level. “The party cannot win the confidence of minorities, unless it addresses the concerns of the cadre belonging to those groups. They are party’s Brand Ambassadors and their level of happiness and satisfaction within the party will help them in winning the confidence of Minorities,” he said.

The Congress MLC admitted that the Congress party failed to take advantage of the fact that it provided reservation to Muslims in jobs and education. Several other achievements of Congress Government could not be conveyed to the masses in a proper manner. He said Muslims constitute over 13 per cent of the total population in Telangana and the community should get its due share in all the sectors.

Shabbir Ali also demanded that workers belonging to the Christian /Linguistic and other Minority communities be given due representation in the party in recognition of their services and loyalty.

He also slammed the TRS Government for not taking any concrete steps to implement the promise of giving 12 per cent Reservation to Muslims in education and jobs. “The Congress Government issued the GO giving 5% reservation to Muslims in just 56 days after coming to power in 2004. However, the TRS Government failed to move an inch in the last two months,” he alleged.

He also expressed concern over the rise in incidents of communal violence after BJP came to power at the Centre.