K Venkateshwarlu
Hyderabad
Intensifying its outreach to minorities ahead of the Assembly elections, the Congress set up sub-groups for the Minorities Declaration Committee to meet with stakeholders.
The committee held its second meeting on Wednesday, which was chaired by TPCC PAC Convener and Committee Chairman Mohammed Ali Shabbir. Other members present were Convener Zafar Javeed, Shaik Abdullah Sohail, Uzma Shakir, Faheem Qureshi, B. Ezekiel, Syed Azmathullah Hussaini, Deepak John and Rashed Khan.
The committee finalised a list of leaders and representatives from various religious and social organizations who will be approached in person to seek suggestions for the Minorities Declaration.
The committee has also set up four to five sub-groups that will meet with these leaders in the next three to four days.
“We have also decided to hold an interactive meeting with intellectuals, organizations, civil society groups and other stakeholders to discuss the proposed Minorities Declaration,” Shabbir Ali said. “The meeting will be held next week in Hyderabad and will be attended by top Congress leaders. It will be an interactive meeting where we will facilitate individuals and organizations to submit their suggestions directly,” he said.
Shabbir said that before the release of the Minorities Declaration, some meetings of the Declaration Committee will also be held in districts with significant minority populations.
“Our intention is to gather as many suggestions as possible from community members,” he said. “We will be approaching Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis and all other minorities to incorporate their suggestions in the Declaration as well as our manifesto.”
Shabbir said that the Congress, through its Minorities Declaration, intends to expose the failures of the BRS government in implementing welfare schemes for minorities. It will also convey the message that only the Congress cares for minorities and can ensure their development.
“The Minorities Declaration will be a comprehensive document that will cover all aspects of minorities’ welfare,” he said.
Meanwhile, TPCC Senior Vice President and Committee Convener Zafar Javeed said that several organizations have already started sharing their suggestions with committee members.
He said that a dedicated WhatsApp number and email ID for sending suggestions to the Declaration Committee will be shared by Thursday. He said that the various sub-groups set up on Wednesday will start meeting with the heads of religious and social organizations immediately. This process will be completed in the next three to four days, he said.
