YSR Congress charts minority outreach roadmap, adopts four resolutions

The Jagan Mohan Reddy-led party plans to hold talks with influential stakeholders in the Muslim community, organise minority mahasabha.

Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. (File)

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Continuing the community-specific outreach with next year’s elections in mind, the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday organised a meeting of its Muslim leaders and supporters in Tadepalle near Vijayawada. This was held in just under a month after the Backward Communities (BC) Mahasabha was organised in Vijayawada on December 7.

Among the big names at the minority community meeting were Deputy Chief Minister Amzath Basha, who is the first person from a minority community to hold the post, Kurnool MLA Mohammad Abdul Hafeez Khan, Madanapalle MLA Mohammad Nawaz Basha, Guntur East MLA Noori Fathima; MLCs Mohammad Ruhulla, Isaac Basha, and Shaik Mohammed Iqbal; and Waqf Board Chairperson Khadar Basha.

Amzath Basha told The Indian Express that under the leadership of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the Muslim community had received a lot of support.

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A panel held discussions on the holistic development of minorities, social security, political representation, and higher education. “Minorities have finally been given their due recognition and respect. Their voices are being heard and their concerns are being raised. Muslims are included in the overall development agenda of the state, something that has not been done before. Jagan Mohan Reddy has gone ahead and fulfilled all the promises he made to us,” said Basha.

At the meeting, YSRCP leaders charted the party’s plan of action and adopted four resolutions to help Muslims. The four resolutions are: taking the YSRCP government’s initiatives to empower Muslims to every minority household; making an inclusive effort to meet all stakeholders, including ulemas, imams, masjid committee members, madrasa stakeholders, and Waqf board stakeholders to communicate as well as understand their aspirations; deploying the top leadership to meet and interact with influential stakeholders of the community and seek support for YSRCP; and hold a massive minority mahasabha, inviting all stakeholders and leaders to pledge their support to Jagan Mohan Reddy.

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Kurnool MLA Mohammad Abdul Hafeez Khan said the YSRCP government had disbursed Rs 10,309 crore through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and Rs 10,053 crore through non-DBT schemes to Muslim beneficiaries under various schemes. He said 3.89 lakh Muslim families below the poverty line had been covered under the state government’s housing schemes. During the Covid-19 pandemic, over 8.1 lakh Muslim families were provided assistance of Rs 81 crore by the YSRCP government, said the legislator, adding that about 4.73 lakh Muslim students had received Rs 15,000 under the Amma Vodi scheme to incentivise them to continue their studies.

Through the YSR zero interest scheme, 6.66 lakh Muslim women in self-help groups were provided free credit loans, according to ruling party leaders. MLC Shaik Mohammed Iqbal noted that YSRCP has ensured a significant political representation to the community as for the first time in Andhra Pradesh, the state has a Muslim Deputy Chief Minister, four Muslim MLAs, and four MLCs and a woman Deputy Chairperson of the Legislative Council from the minority community.