Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Thursday said that certain “political forces” were conspiring to delete lakhs of votes in Telangana through the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll, alleging that similar attempts had taken place in West Bengal and Bihar in recent times.
Referring to reports of more than 73 lakh voters being deleted at the end of the SIR enumeration phase, Revanth Reddy appealed to people to remain vigilant and ensure that the names of all eligible voters remain on the electoral rolls during the next phase of the exercise.
Participating in the “Minorities Excellence Summit” at Adivasi Bhavan in Banjara Hills, Revanth Reddy, without naming any political party, alleged that “political forces from Gujarat” had begun their march towards Telangana through the SIR exercise and were attempting to target the state. He called upon the people to remain alert and foil any such attempts. The Chief Minister said some leaders had claimed that they had “conquered” West Bengal and that Telangana was their next target.
Responding to such claims, Revanth Reddy said, “You were successful because Didi (Mamata Banerjee) did not take this issue seriously. But we will not allow this in Telangana.” He said the Congress would not allow eligible voters to lose their voting rights and urged party workers to take up the responsibility of protecting the electoral rolls.
The Chief Minister appealed to the youth to visit every household during the next 10 days, compare the voter lists of 2002 with the latest electoral rolls, identify discrepancies and submit the details to Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
He asked the Congress cadre to ensure that not a single eligible voter was deleted from the rolls and called upon everyone to become a “Revanth Reddy” in safeguarding the right to vote. He also urged people across Telangana to personally verify their names and those of eligible members of their families in the voter lists.
Revanth Reddy said the Congress government is committed to the welfare and empowerment of minorities, saying Hindus and Muslims were “two eyes” for him. Referring to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement that the four per cent reservation for minorities would be removed if the BJP came to power in Telangana, the Chief Minister challenged Shah to first remove the Muslim quota in Gujarat before talking about Telangana.
He said the Congress deserved credit for introducing and implementing the four per cent reservation for minorities. He claimed that the state government had ensured its effective implementation, enabling minority youth to secure jobs in Group-I and Group-II services. “Our government implemented the four per cent reservation effectively, and the youth have secured jobs in Group-1 and Group-2 services. We ensured minorities were given their due place under our government,” he said.
The Chief Minister said some forces had attempted to stall the recruitment process by approaching the Supreme Court, but the State government pursued the matter seriously and succeeded in completing the appointments.
Listing various measures taken for the minority community, Revanth Reddy said a member of the minority community had been appointed to the Telangana Public Service Commission.
He also pointed to the induction of former Indian cricket captain Mohammed Azharuddin into the State Cabinet, the provision of a Group-I level government job to world boxing champion Nikhat Zareen along with a cash prize of `3 crore, and the appointment of cricketer Mohammed Sirajuddin as a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
The Chief Minister urged minority youth to focus not only on formal education but also on acquiring job-oriented skills to take advantage of emerging employment opportunities in countries such as Germany and Japan. He said the State government had already established a Skills University to enhance the employability and skills of students.
Revanth Reddy thanked the Muslim community for its cooperation and support in helping him reach the position of Chief Minister.
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