By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: Stating that the TDP is opposed to the Triple Talaq Bill, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that he will take the responsibility of stopping the passage of the Bill. “As the Triple Talaq Bill is aimed at prosecuting and arresting Muslims, I am the first person to raise voice against the Bill in the nation and came out openly against it as the move will lead to intentional victimisation,’’ he said. Stating that there should be no scope for discrimination, he said after the TDP opposed the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, the matter was referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee.

“I will ensure that the Bill will not be passed in future too,’’ Naidu said. Speaking after participating in Ramzan prayers along with Muslims at Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation Stadium here on Saturday, he said the State government had allocated `1,100 crore in the 2018-19 budget for minority welfare. He said it is more than the allocations made for minority welfare in the combined Andhra Pradesh. He also announced that 25 residential schools will be started soon for minorities in the State.

Elaborating about various welfare schemes being extended by his government, he said that the TDP is committed to maintenance of communal harmony. Stating that Haj House will be built in Vijayawada at a cost of `80 crore and Wakf Tribunal will be set up soon, he said the State government has been giving `50,000 each for Muslim girls under Dulhan Scheme and providing pre and post-matric scholarships for Muslim children.

Immediate orders for construction of Masjid When some of the Muslims complained about the delay in construction of a Masjid, which was demolished during road extension works at Ramavarappadu two years ago, the Chief Minister passed immediate orders to District Collector B Lakshmikantham to take necessary steps for the construction of Masjid. “I have given orders to the Collector to complete the construction of Masjid by next year,’’ the Chief Minister informed the delegation.