Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao | Photo Credit: PTI

Hyderabad: The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday defended the Muslims-only schemes launched by Telangana CM, calling it necessary development and not appeasement. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had on Monday proposed an industrial estate and a special IT corridor exclusively for Muslims in the state. The BJP meanwhile, came down heavily on the proposal, calling it Rao's attempt to appease minority voters.

"IT corridor that would come up in a waqf land... So it is good that a waqf land is being utilised. If it is not utilised, you are making it vulnerable to land grabbers. So these are important decisions. So Minority Finance Corporation is there, Minority Ministry is there. Every government has it. You have the Prime Minister's 15-point programme. So all these are under the PM's 15-point programme. So I do not know what such a hue and cry is being made (about) because (at the) end of the day if you want development, you'll say appeasement (sic)," Owaisi told Times Now.

MP @asadowaisi defends Muslim only schemes launched by Telangana CM, calling it necessary development & not appeasement #CMOnlyForMuslims pic.twitter.com/0mMopLwVMN — TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) October 26, 2017

TRS leader Bhanu Prasad said that his party has talked about giving quotas to Muslims and not "separate IT corridor for Muslims". "We have never said that (there would be) a separate IT corridor for Muslims. We said that a separate small scale IT corridor, where we give some certain percentage of quota for Muslims also. The backward Muslims also, we give some quota. But we have never said that we'll only have a separate IT corridor for particular segment whether it is Hindus or Muslims or someone... In that it is a small scale IT corridor, where we will provide some reservation for the Muslims (sic)," Prasad said.

The BJP, however, came down heavily on the TRS leadership saying that K Chandrashekhar Rao is the "CM of Telangana" and "not the Nizam of Hyderabad". GVL Narasimha Rao, spokesperson, BJP said, "K Chandrashekhar Rao is the Chief Minister of Telangana. He is not the Nizam of Hyderabad. He cannot have a development (plan only) for certain communities, sops for certain communities for the purpose of building a vote bank. This is in complete violation of our democratic principles. This is in violation of the secular character and he is only possibly competing with Owaisi for the minority vote and therefore indulging in such acts of appeasement which are in complete contravention of our democratic character (sic)."

BJP’s @GVLNRAO says K Chandrashekhar Rao should act as Chief Minister of Telangana and not like Nizam of Hyderabad #CMOnlyForMuslims pic.twitter.com/ZIwZmjqZ1L — TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) October 26, 2017

BJP’s Krishna Sagar Rao said that Telangana CM KCR has been on the job of appeasement of not just Muslims but also of AIMIM. "See, just not pre-poll, CM KCR, right after swearing in has been on the job of appeasement, not just of Muslims but of AIMIM party run by, owned by the family of Owaisis. He is a(n) ostrich to them because he needs that 12 percent-13 percent vote in the entire state. So, the height of absurdity as Bharatiya Janata Party sees is when you declare that you are going to have an IT corridor for Muslims; I think the Muslims would also laugh at it. I mean how would you have, not even in Islamic nations that somebody would declare that I would have an IT corridor just for Muslims. How can you have a religious IT corridor? So it is the height of absurdity, only CM KCR can even imagine something," Rao said.