Click to play videoHyderabad: It was the end of a long wait for several young couples, as in a first-of-its-kind endeavour, Andhra Pradesh government on Wednesday conducted about 200 Muslim marriages.
“TDP did it last year, so we are following the same trend. So now the government is organising marriages not just for the Hindu, but also for the Muslims and the Christians,” says Minority Welfare Minister, Shabir Ali.
With elections just around the corner, minority appeasement seems to be the top priority again.
Muslims form an important part of Andhra Pradesh’s votebank, especially in districts such as Hyderabad and Karimnagar, where most of Wednesday’s marriages were conducted.
Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, who was present at the occasion, made sure he listed out other government schemes as well.
As the date for the big state political battle gets closer, concern for the minorities seems to be tumbling out of the closet.
While the recent communal attacks in Adilabad saw all political parties make a beeline to offer condolences, the mass marriages had the Congress government sing the same appeasement song, but in a different tune.
With mass Christian marriages scheduled for next month, the government seems to be making sure no one is left out, as it starts to roll the appeasement dice all over again.
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