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Congress Believes In 'Appeasement' Of Minorities To Win Elections: Amit Shah

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief also alleged that as part of its politics of minority appeasement, the opposition party had promised an educational aid of Rs 20 lakh to the minority students if it came to power in Telangana.

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Congress Believes In 'Appeasement' Of Minorities To Win Elections: Amit Shah
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BJP president Amit Shah on Sunday accused the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and the Congress are trying to woo minorities in the state to win elections.

He also alleged that the caretaker Chief Minister of Telangana, K Chandrasekhar Rao, opted for early elections as a result had burdened the state with crores of rupees.

Speaking at an election rally at Narayanpet in Mahbubnagar district, he also alleged that both the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and the Congress believed in the "appeasement" of minorities and that AIMIM's Akbaruddin Owaisi had said whoever became the chief minister of the southern state would have to bow before his party.

"Telangana would have saved hundreds of crores of rupees had it opted for the Assembly polls along with the Lok Sabha election in May next year. KCR burdened the state with crores of rupees of election expenditure. Who is responsible for this? KCR was doubtful of his victory in May, fearing a (Prime Minister) Modi wave," Shah said.

He alleged that the Congress, in its manifesto for the December 7 polls, had promised "free electricity" to mosques and churches but not to temples.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief also alleged that as part of its politics of minority appeasement, the opposition party had promised an educational aid of Rs 20 lakh to the minority students if it came to power in Telangana.

"The Congress also speaks (in its manifesto) about reservations for the minorities in government contracts. It also talks about separate hospitals for the minorities. I want to ask (Congress president) Rahul Gandhi, what would be the fate of the poor people who do not belong to the minority communities," he said.

Shah reiterated that the saffron party was not in favour of reservations based on religion as it was against the Constitution.

"The Telangana chief minister has promised a 12-per cent reservation for Muslims. The BJP and its cadre will ensure that a reservation based on religion will not be implemented in Telangana," he asserted.

Taking a dig at the Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the TRS, Shah claimed that due to the fear of the Owaisi brothers, the KCR government no longer celebrated the state's Liberation Day on September 17 and vowed that if the BJP came to power in Telangana, the Hyderabad Liberation Day will be celebrated with fanfare.

"Akbaruddin says whoever becomes the chief minister of Telangana should keep his head at the feet of the Majlis (AIMIM)," he said.

Referring to KCR's promise of giving two-bedroom houses to backward families, Shah said the TRS chief not only failed to implement the scheme, but also deprived the people of the state of the benefits of the Prime Minister Awas Yojana.

He urged the voters to vote for the BJP for the overall development of Narayanpet and Telangana.

At another public meeting at Kalwakurthy, Shah alleged that 4,500 farmers had committed suicide in Telangana in the last four-and-half-years of the TRS rule.

KCR, who claimed to be a messiah of farmers, handcuffed them in Khammam when they asked for a support price for their produce, he charged.

The BJP chief also alleged that KCR had forgotten the promise of providing government jobs and compensation to the kin of the 1,200 people who had lost their lives during the separate Telangana movement.

The 119-member Telangana Assembly will go to the polls on December 7 and the results will be announced on December 11. 

(PTI)