Kalyana Lakshmi row: BRS cadre stages protest at Collectorates and other places across the State

The BRS staged protests across Telangana against the Congress government's alleged move to discontinue the Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak schemes. BRS leaders demanded immediate release of pending benefits and warned of intensified protests involving women across the State

Hyderabad: Condemning the Congress government’s conspiracies to discontinue the Kalyana Lakshmi scheme, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) staged protests at Collectorates and other places across the State.

The party demanded that the Congress government address the issues and extend benefits to the poor and needy under the scheme. The BRS leaders warned that if the scheme was not continued, protests would be intensified across the State involving women.

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From Alampur to Adilabad, BRS leaders held placards and raised slogans against the Congress government for its failure. At many places, the party leaders squatted on the roads in protest and demanded that the government disburse Kalyana Lakshmi benefits at the earliest.

These protests were staged following instructions from BRS working president KT Rama Rao. He had charged that the Congress government was hatching conspiracies to discontinue the scheme out of political vendetta.

In Makthal constituency, former Makthal MLA Chittem Rammohan Reddy participated in the protest on National Highway 167. The BRS leaders opposed the Congress party’s alleged conspiracy to discontinue the Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak schemes. A protest was held by the BRS town and mandal units at the Sri Satyanarayana junction in Narayanpet.

In Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s Kodangal constituency, a protest was held at Maddur Old Bus Stand junction under the leadership of former MLA Patnam Narender Reddy.

Traffic movement was disrupted for a while after the BRS party held a protest at the Ambedkar Centre on National Highway 353 in Jayashankar Bhupalpally. Former Bhupalpally MLA Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy demanded that the schemes be continued without interruption.

A massive protest was held at YSR Junction in the Jogulamba Gadwal district, demanding the continuation of the Kalyana Lakshmi scheme, which has stood as a support system for poor families. Led by BRS Gadwal in-charge Basu Shyamala Hanumantha Naidu, a large number of party leaders and activists participated and raised slogans against the government.

Tension prevailed at the Nalgonda Collectorate after the BRS cadre staged a protest under the leadership of former MLAs Kancharla Bhupal Reddy and Nomula Bhagat. They launched the protest demanding the immediate implementation of the suspended Kalyana Lakshmi schemes.

Police were deployed in large numbers to bring the situation under control.

Similarly, in Siddipet, the BRS party cadre staged a protest at the RDO office against the Congress government. The leaders slammed the Congress government for discontinuing the Kalyana Lakshmi scheme, fearing that BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao was getting credit.

Former Husnabad MLA Vodithala Satish Kumar charged that the Congress government was synonymous with delays, evasions, cutbacks and demolitions.

“Yesterday, it was fee reimbursement. Today, it is Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak. Not long ago, it jeopardized the future of lakhs of Telangana students. Today, the Congress government is attempting to do an injustice to the lives of thousands of young women,” he slammed.

Apparently, a lawyer named Vijay Gopal filed a PIL in the High Court. The incompetent Congress government failed to file a counter-affidavit between July 8 and August 7, he pointed out.

The BRS government initially provided Rs 51,000, later increased it to Rs 75,000, and eventually raised the amount to Rs 1,00,116. During the BRS government’s tenure, nearly 10 lakh young women benefited under the scheme, the BRS leaders said.

At a protest held in front of the Peddapalli District Collector’s office, former MLA Dasari Manohar Reddy condemned the Congress government’s conspiracy to scrap the Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak schemes. He demanded immediate release of financial assistance to eligible beneficiaries whose payments were pending.

Responding to the BRS working president’s directions, former Armoor MLA A Jeevan Reddy and BRS party leaders protested at Tahsildar (MRO) offices across all mandal headquarters in the Armoor constituency.

In Qutbullapur Zonal Office, MLA KP Vivekanand charged that the High Court had directed the State government to file a counter-affidavit over the scheme. However, out of negligence, the Congress government failed to file the counter, effectively signalling its intention to halt these welfare schemes, he lashed.

When Revanth Reddy was the PCC President, he came to power by deceiving the public with false promises, including six guarantees, 12 declarations and 420 pledges, to be fulfilled within 100 days. This Congress government was an incompetent administration that has failed miserably to implement the promises it made, he charged.

“Revanth Reddy miserably failed to continue the welfare schemes and development programmes introduced by KCR for the benefit of all sections of society,” KP Vivekanand added.