Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Credit: PTI file photo
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday said he will do more than his father, former CM Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, for the welfare of Muslims.
The chief minister, addressing a public meeting here said: "For the welfare of Muslims, if my father had taken one step, I would take two steps with pride."
The rally was to mark National Education Day, also observed as Minorities Welfare Day in the southern state.
He noted that several great changes have happened to the Muslim community since the YSRCP government came to power in 2019, in terms of political, economic, women's empowerment and several others.
The chief minister called on the community to find out the difference between his regime and the previous TDP rule led by N Chandrababu Naidu.
Reddy said former chief minister Naidu did not have the heart to elevate even a single Muslim leader as a minister. However, in the present regime, he has appointed a Muslim leader as a deputy chief minister.
The National Education Day is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad - India's first Education Minister.
Heaping praise on Azad, the chief minister observed that India's first education minister had established several renowned educational institutions, whose birthday was designated as Minorities Welfare Day by Rajasekhar Reddy in 2008.
Further, the chief minister claimed that his father was the first person in the country to introduce reservations for poor Muslims.