Congress acting against Ambedkar’s vision by halting schemes: Harish Rao

Says government stopped releasing funds to overseas scholarship scheme launched by KCR to encourage Dalits to pursue higher education abroad

Siddipet: Former Minister T Harish Rao accused the Congress government of acting against the vision of Dr BR Ambedkar by scrapping several schemes launched by the BRS government for empowerment of Dalits in the State.

Speaking after garlanding the statue of Ambedkar in Siddipet on the occasion of his birth anniversary on Monday, Rao said the Congress government had stopped releasing funds to the Ambedkar overseas scholarship scheme, which former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao launched to encourage Dalits to pursue higher education abroad.

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The former minister also said that the Congress government was not releasing funds to schools providing education to Dalit students under the best available schools scheme. Rao said that over 25,000 Dalit students were studying in private schools under the scheme across the State. Despite multiple letters written by him, the Congress government did not release any funds to these schools so far.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who promised to continue Dalit Bandhu by increasing the amount given by the BRS government, had failed to extend the benefit to even a single Dalit person until now. The Congress government also stopped many schemes such as KCR Kits, Bathukamma sarees, and others launched by the BRS, he said, stating that Revanth Reddy had also cheated poor people by promising one tola of gold in addition to Rs 1 lakh under the Kalyana Lakshmi scheme.

Stating that the Congress had a history of humiliating Ambedkar even when he was alive, Harish Rao said the Congress had fielded a candidate against Ambedkar in the Lok Sabha elections and denied the Bharat Ratna to him though he was the most eligible to receive the award.