VIJAYAWADA: The ruling TDP, which is of the view that minorities distanced from the party after it aligned with the BJP, has initiated all measures to regain their confidence, particularly after snapping ties with the saffron party. The State government has started sanctioning crores of rupees liberally for construction of mosques, Shadikhanas and churches to lure both Muslims and Christians.
An official of the Minority Corporation told TNIE that the government has been liberal with regard to sanctioning of funds for development and construction of mosques, Shadikhanas and churches. The series of orders being issued by the TDP government in recent months is a testimony to the fact that it is going to woo minorities.
“When the TDP was with the BJP earlier, the Finance Department used to raise certain queries after going through the representations of minorities seeking financial assistance for their community development activities. Of course, even before coming out of the NDA, the government had conceded some of our demands. But, after exiting from the NDA, the State government is liberal in sanctioning funds for various community development activities,” a leader of Muslim community said.
In fact, the TDP leaders openly admit that minorities despite having faith in the party, however, opposed it in the last elections as it aligned with the BJP. “Though the State government had started allocating more budget (increasing the outlay by 30 per cent every year), which is better than all the previous governments, for the welfare and development of minorities in the past four years, we have not witnessed any major change among them as they continued to distance from the party. After coming out of the BJP-led NDA government, we are witnessing an increase in support to the TDP from minorities,” said a senior leader of the party.
Andhra Pradesh State Minority Finance Corporation Chairman Md Hidayat said since 2014, the TDP government has been focusing on development and welfare of minorities. After allocating Rs 570 crore budget for the welfare of minorities in 2014-15, the allocation raised to Rs 1,402 crore in the current fiscal. This shows the commitment of the TDP government towards the welfare of minorities, he said.
He further said the government also reconstituted Minority Commission, Minority Finance Corporation, Urdu Commission, Haj Committee, AP Wakf Board, which was not done since 2007 and made financial allocations.
However, another TDP leader said despite spending more money on minorities’ welfare, the government did not focus much on propagating the same. But, for the past few months, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has been participating in a series of meetings with minorities and highlighting what his government has done for their welfare and making his best to attract the minorities vote bank.
As part of that the Muslim Convention christened ‘Nara Hamara - TDP Hamara’ will be held in Guntur on August 28 and the TDP is getting ready to show its strong support among minorities.