Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday accused the BJP of conspiring to abolish minority reservations in education and employment in Telangana and asserted that the Congress was the only political force capable of taking on the BJP at the national level.
Addressing the National Education Day and Minority Welfare Day celebrations here, Revanth Reddy alleged that the BJP-led government at the Centre had already abolished scholarships for minority students and questioned the rationale behind the decision. “Which God instructed the BJP to abolish minority scholarships?” he asked.
The Chief Minister also cautioned minorities against the BRS, alleging that the party would align with the BJP in Delhi. “The Car (BRS symbol) starts from the streets of Telangana, but the moment it reaches Delhi, it turns into a Lotus (BJP symbol),” he said.
Revanth Reddy recalled that the Congress government headed by Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy had introduced four per cent reservations for minorities in education and employment in undivided Andhra Pradesh. He said lakhs of minority students had benefited from the policy over the past two decades and that reservations continued in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
He referred to the BJP’s announcement at a public meeting in Chevella in April 2023, ahead of the Assembly elections, that it would abolish minority reservations if voted to power in Telangana. “We challenged the BJP to abolish minority reservations in Gujarat first before talking about Telangana,” he said.
“No one can scrap minority reservations in Telangana. Even Gujarat, which is ruled by the BJP, has minority reservations. If the BJP has guts, it should abolish minority reservations in Gujarat first before talking about Telangana.”
The Chief Minister alleged that while the Congress had empowered poor and minority communities by giving them voting rights, the BJP was attempting to disenfranchise them.
Turning to minority welfare and development initiatives, Revanth Reddy said his government had accorded priority to the welfare of minorities. He said Metro Rail works in the Old City, which he described as the “Original City,” were being expedited and would commence in another two months.
He said the Musi rejuvenation project would help restore the Old City’s glory and stressed the need to develop a night economy along the river.
Paying tribute to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, who laid the foundation for Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in the country, Revanth Reddy said the state government had upgraded ITIs into Advanced Training Centres (ATCs) to improve skills and employment opportunities.
He said the growing use of artificial intelligence could lead to a decline in software engineering jobs and that the government was focusing on creating opportunities in blue-collar occupations that could not easily be replaced by AI.
“If one acquires the necessary skills, there will be no shortage of opportunities for blue-collar jobs in the future,” he said.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
