Naidu's son bats for Muslim reservation

New Delhi, NT Bureau: The purpose of providing reservations in education and government jobs to Muslims in Andhra Pradesh is social justice and not appeasement, said Telugu Desam Party leader Nara Lokesh, NDTV reported.

During an interview with the news channel, the TDP leader said that reservations for the community in the state had been in place for the last two decades.

“We stand by it,” said Lokesh, who is the son of Chief Ministerdesignate N Chandrababu Naidu. “It is a fact that the minorities continue to suffer and that they have the lowest per capita income.

As a government, it is my responsibility to bring them out of poverty. So whatever decisions I take are not for appeasement, but to bring them out of poverty,” the TDP leader said.

Muslims have had access to 4% reservations in education and government jobs under the Other Backward Classes category in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh since 2007.