KTR demands apology from Congress for cheating Dalits

“Mallikarjun Kharge was brought to Telangana, made grand promises to Dalits, and then left those commitments behind after securing their votes,” he said. “Where is the Rs 12 lakh promised under the Dalit Bandhu scheme? What happened to the Rs 6 lakh assured for house construction? And what about the land pattas and the 28 per cent quota in contracts for Dalits and tribals?”

Hyderabad: Charging the Congress government with failure to implement even a single promise from its Chevella SC Declaration, BRS working president KT Rama Rao demanded that the party leaders apologise to the Dalit community for their betrayal. He said the top Congress leaders including AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge made promises during the election campaign, but government cheated the Dalits for electoral gains without implementing them.

“Mallikarjun Kharge was invited to Telangana, made to read out lofty promises to Dalits, and then abandoned them after winning votes. Where are Rs 12 lakh promised under Dalit Bandhu? What happened to the Rs 6 lakh promised for house construction? What about land pattas and the 28 per cent share in contracts for Dalits and tribals?” he asked.

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Speaking at Dr BR Ambedkar’s 135th birth anniversary celebrations at Telangana Bhavan on Monday, Rama Rao questioned the fate of the Vidya Jyoti scheme and other financial incentives promised to Dalits. He demanded that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy must answer for the fraud committed on the Dalit community.

He added that Ambedkar could not have imagined that India would one day be led by people who deceive with false promises, hinting that a recall system should have been included in the Constitution to remove such leaders. “Today, voting for Congress feels like a five-year punishment,” he said, predicting that Congress would be wiped out in Telangana, if elections were held today.

The BRS working president also welcomed the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Governor’s delay in clearing State bills and hoped for a fair decision soon on the Speaker’s inaction against BRS MLAs who defected to Congress after winning on the BRS symbol.

Further, Rama Rao lauded Ambedkar’s legacy and vision for linguistic States and minority rights. He said that former Chief Minister K CHandrashekhar Rao followed Ambedkar’s philosophy of “Educate, Organise and Agitate” during the Telangana movement and in governance after State formation.

Inspired by Ambedkar’s vision, he credited Chandrashekhar RaoR with launching transformative schemes like Dalit Bandhu, Gurukul education, and Rythu Bandhu, which changed lives, especially for Dalits. “Only a strong-willed leader like Chandrashekhar Rao could implement such bold schemes,” he said.

Taking a swipe at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he said it was shameful to term, speaking about Ambedkar fashionable”. “Ambedkar’s values are not just fashion, but inspiration to every citizen of this nation,” he said. He urged people to remain alert and not fall for false promises. “The Dalit community deserves justice, not deception,” he declared.