Former PCC president D Srinivas on Saturday assured Muslims that the Congress government would continue the reservation policy in future.
Addressing the fourth convention of the PCC Minorities' Department at Gandhi Bhavan here, Srinivas said that constitutional amendments would be brought in, if required, to continue the 4% reservation for Muslims in the state in case the Supreme Court gives its verdict against the quota. He said that the credit for Muslim reservation goes only to the Muslim community and Congress president Sonia Gandhi. He said that no other leader can claim credit for this policy, which he said helped thousands of Muslims in the state.
Srinivas said that the Congress party had lost power in 1994 due to the mistakes committed by the then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao. However, he said that Sonia Gandhi restored the confidence of Muslims in the Congress, and that hence, it could come to power in the 2004 and 2009 elections. He expressed confidence that the Congress would return to power in the 2014 elections with the support of minorities, especially Muslims.
Accusing the BJP of conspiring to divide the country on religious lines, Srinivas said that religious hatred would be spread across the country "like in Gujarat" if Narendra Modi becomes the Prime Minister. He said that all secular forces in the country must join hands to stop the "communal tirade" of the BJP.
PCC Minority Cell chairman Md. Sirajuddin, AICC Minority Cell chairman Khursheed Ahmed Sayeed, PCC general secretary and former minister Md. Fareeduddin, Secunderabad MP M Anjan Kumar Yadav, MLAs Mastan Vali and Shahjahan Basha, PCC secretary Yousuf Hashmi and other leaders participated in the meeting. (INN)