Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

Purandeswari reassures minorities

VISAKHAPATNAM: Addressing a select gathering of people from the Muslim community, Daggubati Purandeswari, Union Minister of State for Human Resources Development and Congress candidate for Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha seat, has promised to take up the grievances of the minority community in consultation with her colleague Konathala Ramakrishna, Minister of Commercial Taxes, if she gets elected. She was speaking at a meeting organised by the AQJ Group of Institutions here on Monday.

The leaders and intellectuals from the minority community contended that despite being traditional Congressmen, they were not given their due share in the government by way of nominated posts. They pointed out that the Muslims from coastal Andhra were ignored by the leaders after the elections.

The Congress candidate in her response pointed out that her party was the only secular party in the country and a lot was in store for the minority community if the party wins the elections. “Basing on the Sachar Committee report the Ministry of Human Resources Development has already asked Aligarh Muslim University to open five centres across the country to facilitate higher education for the Muslim youth. We have also suggested the starting of remedial classes to accommodate poor Muslim youth in premier institutions like the IIT and the IIMs,” she said.

Dr. Purandeswari also highlighted the 4 per cent reservation for minority in higher education, which was initiated by Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

Emphasising the secularity of the country and her party she observed, “Where will you find a Muslim President administering the oath of office to a Sikh Prime Minister in a country where the majority comprise the Hindus, and a party that has publicly denounced the Babri Masjid demolition and the post Godhra carnage.”

I.H. Farooqui from AQJ Group of Institutions, veteran trade union leader Qureshi and Congress leader Zahir Ahmed also spoke. V.A. Siddiqui of AQJ was present.

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