Harish Rao accuses Congress of betraying SCs and STs in the name of Chevella Declaration

BRS leader T Harish Rao accused the Congress government of failing to implement promises made to SC and ST communities under the Chevella Declaration. Addressing an LHPS protest, he alleged neglect of tribal welfare, forcible land acquisition and inadequate implementation of welfare schemes

Hyderabad: Former Minister and BRS Deputy Floor Leader T Harish Rao charged that the Congress government had deceived SC and ST communities by failing to implement the promises made in the Chevella Declaration.

Addressing the “Lambadi Hakkula Porata Samithi” (LHPS) protest held here on Tuesday, he said the protest was not just a demonstration but a battle for the self-respect of Lambadi and tribal communities. “Before elections, the Congress leaders folded their hands before Lambadi communities. After coming to power, they put handcuffs on them,” Rao alleged.

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Appealing to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, he urged him to ensure the implementation of the SC/ST Declaration. “If the promises are not fulfilled, thousands of people from tribal tandas will travel to Delhi and stage a protest in front of Kharge’s residence,” Rao warned.

The BRS Deputy Floor Leader condemned the arrests of Lambadi women and youth protesting against land acquisition. He alleged that even pregnant women were not spared during police action and claimed that 45 Lambadi youth were jailed for resisting forcible land acquisition.

Stating that the Congress government had failed to implement even a single promise made in the SC/ST Declaration and the Chevella Declaration, the former Minister said the Congress had promised land titles for podu lands but instead grabbed nearly 50,000 acres of SC and ST lands in the name of industries and large corporate projects. “The Lambadi community in Kodangal will politically defeat Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for targeting tribal lands,” Rao warned.

He questioned Revanth Reddy over the promise of providing two lakh government jobs, pointing out that the government itself admitted in the Assembly that only around 16,000 jobs had been provided. He also criticised the government for not increasing housing assistance for SCs and STs as promised. Rao pointed out that while the BRS government gave MLC and Ministerial representation to tribal leaders like Satyavathi Rathod, the Congress government had not given even a single Ministerial berth to the Lambadi community.

Highlighting the welfare measures implemented during the BRS regime, he said BRS president K Chandrashekhar Rao fulfilled every promise made to tribal communities. In contrast, the Congress government had completely failed tribal communities by not allocating funds even to corporations established in the names of Sevalal Maharaj, Kumaram Bheem and Ekalavya, he alleged.

The former Minister further claimed that though Rs 2,730 crore was allocated to the SC Corporation in the budget, only Rs 50 crore had actually been spent. “I challenge the State government to prove that even a single rupee has been meaningfully distributed to SC and ST beneficiaries through these corporations over the past two-and-a-half years,” Rao said.

“This protest at Indira Park is only the beginning. The movement will spread to every tanda across Telangana,” he warned.