Govt committed to reservation for Muslims: Minister

Hyderabad, Mar 7 (UNI) Asserting that the Andhra Pradesh government would leave no stone unturned to overcome legal hurdles in providing reservation for Muslims in government jobs and education, State Backward Classes Welfare Minister D Srinivas today said no community would be excluded from the Backward Classes list.

''The government is sincerely striving to overcome legal problems, giving a free hand to an administrative team of legal experts to adopt appropriate strategies to clear the decks for reservation to Muslims,'' he said while replying to the debate on demand for Backward Classes and Social Welfare.

The government would make all out efforts to provide reservation for them well before the new academic year, he said.

He denied the Opposition's charge that the ruling Congress was playing vote bank politics.

He assured the House that the government would provide all eligible BC students with scholarships by allocating Rs 238 crore.

Earlier, TDP member Sujathamma, BSP member L Raja Rao, CPI(ML) New Democracy G Narasaiah castigated the government for alleged diversion of funds allocated for social welfare.

Expressing unhappiness over the delay in providing reservation to Muslims, AIMIM Floor Leader Akbaruddin Owaisi blamed the BJP for scuttling the long pending demand of the Community.

He hoped that the Congress government would fulfill its commitment before the next Assembly elections.

UNI