File photo of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao
A 26-crore package announced by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for free meals at mosques and clothes to Muslim families during the month of Ramzan has provoked an attack by the Opposition Congress, which says he is failing to provide any real benefits to the minority community.
Nearly 4,000 people have been invited to a lavish iftar party that he will host on Wednesday at the Nizam College Grounds, said the Chief Minister, who is popularly known as KCR.
"Instead of fulfilling his (campaign) promise of 12 per cent reservation by issuing an ordinance, he is misleading people with dinner and free clothes. The Chief Minister is offering the youth chocolate instead of the pen,'' said N Uttam Reddy, a senior Congress leader in Telangana.
Muslims constitute about 10 per cent of Telangana's population and about 40% of the population in the capital city of Hyderabad.
Mohammad Mahmood Ali, the Deputy Chief Minister, says the Congress just can't handle the fact that his government is so visibly promoting communal harmony. The 26-crore Ramzan spend, he said, is "in keeping with the spirit of the month, when rich and not-so-rich participate in such activities.''
The Chief Minister yesterday said that about 10 crores will be spent on gifting free clothes to nearly two lakh Muslim families; honorariums to the Imams or priests at mosques will add up to 12 crores; and another four crores will be spent on 1,000 free iftar dinners at 5,000 mosques where worshippers end their daily fast.