The TDP chief, N. Chandrababu Naidu, at a minority meet in Hyderabad on Monday.

HYDERABAD: In a major effort to build bridges and woo Muslim minorities, the Telugu Desam Party president, N. Chandrababu Naidu addressed a huge gathering on Monday and called upon them to rally behind the party in the municipal elections "as Congress is bound to lose."

Mr. Naidu who wore a fur cap presented by an admirer, reassured the Minorities that the party remained secular and would be in the forefront of their struggle for justice, may it be reservation or other issues affecting them. "Social justice has no meaning if minority brothers are left out," he said.

Good response

The response to the meeting organised at the party office, NTR Bhavan was good with minority workers and others from allover the State turning up in large number and cheering him all the way.

Mr. Naidu seemed impressed by the response but notably skipped mentioning firmly the party's decision to maintain a distance from the BJP. He merely said the party had only extended outside support to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance Government and never lost an opportunity to be critical of the Government when it compromised with secularism.

On the Ayodhya issue, it favoured Supreme Court judgment.

He went on to list the benefits extended to minorities during the nine-year rule of the TDP, including raising the budget for their welfare to Rs. 62 crores.

Senior party leader, S. M. Laljan Basha said the TDP had to support the NDA Government under special circumstances to keep the Congress out of power. The party was successful in turning the BJP moderate so much so that the BJP president L. K. Advani followed Mr. Naidu's visit to Pakistan. Congress did nothing but use minorities as vote bank. The TDP vice president Ibrahim Bin Abdullah Masquathi said it was good that the party had snapped ties with the BJP. Syed Yousuf Ali, general secretary, and senior leaders T. Devender Goud and C. Ramachandraiah, spoke.

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