By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: A day after Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had heaped praise on the Nizam, the monarch of the then Hyderabad state, AIMIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi on Wednesday praised Rao to the skies.Claiming that no Chief Minister of the erstwhile united sate had generously implemented welfare schemes for the minorities like the way Rao was doing now, the AIMIM second-in-command predicted that the ruling TRS would win the 2019 general election hands down. Recalling that the TRS-AIMIM alliance had swept the GHMC elections in 2016, Akbar said the alliance would repeat the magic by restricting the opposition parties to single-digit seats in the next Assembly.

Telangana attained statehood only because of the iron will of Rao and his sacrifices. "Some people (Congress) might claim that their leader was responsible for according statehood to Telangana but they should not forget the fact that they were forced to do that due to Rao saab's efforts."

Initiating a short-duration discussion on 'Minority Welfare' in the state legislative Assembly, Akbar said Rao had been treating Hindus, Muslims and Christians equally. "Muslims are rendered justice under TRS rule. I am not saying these words to please the CM. Whenever issues of minorities are brought to his notice, they are being resolved," he said and listed out the welfare and development works taken up by the TRS government. He also lauded the CM's initiative for renovating the Mecca Masjid. For Rao's stature, the post of chief minister was small, he said.

At the same time, he blamed the Congress for the backwardness of Muslims in the state for 70 years. "The development, which was not possible in the last 70 years, has now become possible thanks to Chandrasekhar Rao," he said.