T-Congress To Intensify 12% Muslim Quota Campaign

AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh on Tuesday directed the Telangana Congress leaders to intensify the ongoing campaign for 12% reservation for Muslims in Telangana.

Speaking after releasing the poster for "One Million Yes For 12% Muslim Reservation" at the residence of GHCC Minorities Department chairman Shaik Abdullah Sohail at Bazarghat, Singh praised the campaign and said that the same should be extended to the rest of Telangana.

He said that all Congress leaders should actively participate in the campaign and collect signatures from the people to pressurise Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao to fulfill his election promise.

Accompanied by TPCC President N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Working President Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir and other senior leaders, Singh drove straight to Abdullah Sohail's residence from Imperial Gardens in Secunderabad where he had earlier addressed the 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Dr B R Ambedkar.

He enquired about the response to the campaign which was launched on April 4. He was reportedly elated to learn that more than 4 lakh signatures had been collected through both the online and offline modes during the last eight days.

Abdullah Sohail informed Singh that the campaign had been receiving tremendous response from all sections of the society. He said that while one lakh signatures were received last Friday alone, nearly two lakh signatures were collected during the weekend. He said that hundreds of students had volunteered to run the campaign in their colleges. The response on WhatsApp and other online modes was also highly encouraging, he said.

He expressed hope that the target of 10 lakh signatures would be reached even before the deadline of April 19, which would be the second anniversary of the day that the promise of offering a 12% quota for Muslims was made by KCR.

Digvijay Singh himself signed the petition seeking 12% reservation for Muslims in Telangana. He accused the TRS government of deliberately delaying the issue on some or the other pretext. He said that instead of constituting a Backward Classes Commission, the TRS government had established the Sudhir Commission which had no legal sanctity or powers to recommend a 12% reservation.

Senior Congress leaders including GHCC General Secretary Syed Nizamuddin and Vijaya Kumar Naidu were present on the occasion.