Hyderabad: The Congress party has raised allegations against the Rs 1 lakh aid scheme for minorities, claiming that it is primarily aimed at benefiting BRS workers. In a statement to the media representatives, Zaheer Akhtar, spokesperson of the Pradesh Congress Committee, criticized the decision to entrust the district minister and assembly members with full authority to implement the scheme. According to him, this selection process is designed to favour BRS workers.
Zaheer Akhtar further revealed that out of the 2.5 lakh applications received for subsidy loans from the Minority Finance Corporation in 2022-23, only 10 thousand individuals have been planned to receive assistance. He pointed out that 64 people from Mahbubnagar received subsidy loans of one lakh rupees with a 20% candidate share, and all of them belong to the ruling BRS.
He challenged the claim made by Chairman Imtiaz Ishaq of the Minority Finance Corporation, stating that the scheme was introduced to benefit the poor. According to Zaheer Akhtar, around 230,000 people will be deprived of the aid money due to the selection process favoring political workers ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
The Congress spokesperson highlighted that the provision of 4% reservations was a decision made by the Congress party, and Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy had provided 4% reservation in employment and education to address the backwardness of Muslims, a policy that continues to be implemented to this day. On the other hand, the BRS election manifesto in 2014 promised 12% Muslim reservation, judicial power to Waqf Board, and Urdu as the second official language, but none of these promises have been fulfilled so far.
Zaheer Akhtar challenged the BRS leaders to engage in an open discussion on the steps taken by the Congress government for the welfare of minorities, emphasizing that the Congress party has a long-standing history of working for the upliftment of marginalized communities.
