TDP's Naidu Vows 4% Muslim Reservation, Defying Ally BJP's Strict Opposition (image-X/ncbn)
As the debate on ‘Muslim Reservation’ rages on, in a surprising turn of events, national President of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) N. Chandrababu Naidu promised to protect the four percent Muslim reservation under the OBC category in Andhra Pradesh if the TDP-BJP-Janasena alliance is elected. His promise comes just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that he would end religion-based reservation for Muslims.
During a Praja Galam public meeting held on Thursday, Naidu assured that the interests of the Muslims would be preserved for rejuvenating welfare schemes for them. He stated that the TDP had actively fought for reservations for Muslims in Andhra Pradesh, and it will continue to fulfil its promises.
Promising four percent reservations for the minority community, Naidu also said that the party will provide a monthly financial aid of Rs 5,000 for the maintenance of mosques in the state. The party promised to establish the Noor Basha Corporation with an amount of Rs 100 crore allocated for it annually. Additionally, pensions for individuals above the age of 50 from minority communities and the allocation of spaces for Eidgahs and graveyards for the community in major towns were also promised by the former state chief minister.
His statements come days after alliance partner BJP’s PM Modi blasted Congress with accusations of the party making Andhra Pradesh a “laboratory of appeasement” during its rule in 2004 and 2009. PM Modi accused the grand old party of giving reservations to other minority communities, including OBCs, Dalits, and Adivasis, to Muslims.
As per the 2011 census, the state of Andhra Pradesh has 9.5 percent of the Muslim population.
“As long as Modi is alive, I will not let reservations of Dalits, Adivasis, OBC be given to Muslims on the basis of religion,” he said during an election rally in Telangana’s Zaheerabad.
The TDP, Janasena, and BJP are NDA alliance partners in the state.
According to a Deccan Chronicle report, in a meeting between Naidu and a team of senior BJP leaders, the former urged the saffron party to avoid raising the issue of Muslim reservation as it would sway the election results against them. However, the Union Commerce Minister, among BJP national general secretary Arun Singh, BJP national joint secretary Siva Prakash, and BJP state general secretary (organisation) S. Madhukar, stated that the party is against Muslim reservations, which has been its national policy.
However, diverging from its national policy, the TDP chief went ahead and promised Muslim reservation in the southern state.
