Rosaiah supports quota for Muslims

Hyderabad : The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K. Rosaiah has said that his government was very much committed to provide 4 per cent reservations to the socially and economically backward Muslims.

Addressing the meeting of minority cell of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee in Hyderabad yesterday, he expressed hope that the Supreme Court will grant a stay against the High Court's judgment striking down the 4 per cent quota for Muslim groups. The matter is slated to come up in the Supreme Court tomorrow.

"Congress party has always been committed to the minorities' welfare and it has genuine love and concern for them," he said. He urged Muslims to differentiate between the ‘acting' of some opposition parties about the concern for Muslims and the genuine concern of Congress party.

Assuring that he was personally monitoring the case, Rosaiah said that even the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, was also in touch with the issue.

The chief minister said the state government has hired the best legal brains to fight the case in the Supreme Court. He asked Muslims not to have any misgivings on the issue and talk to him directly if they have any problem.

The State Congress president D. Srinivas said the party knows about the concern and anxiety among Muslims on the issue of reservations.

"There is no question of leaving it without finding a permanent solution to the problem," he said. "There is no reason for you to be worried about it," he said.

Former minority welfare minister Mohammad Ali Shabbir said the government will go to any extent to protect the interest of the 11,000 odd students who had got admissions to various courses last year under the four per cent quota.