Hyderabad, May 26 (RAHNUMA): Former Minister and BRS Deputy Floor Leader Harish Rao strongly criticised the Congress government, alleging that it had deceived SC and ST communities by failing to implement the promises made in the Chevella Declaration.
Speaking at the “Lambadi Rights Protection Committee” dharna held at Indira Park on Tuesday, Harish Rao said the protest was not just a demonstration but a battle for the self-respect of Lambadi and tribal communities.
He recalled that before Telangana statehood, several agitations were held under the leadership of LHPS with the slogan “Hamara Tanda Mein Hamara Raj,” but successive Congress governments under YSR, Rosaiah and Kiran Kumar Reddy ignored their demands.
Harish Rao said it was former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and the BRS government that transformed 3,146 tandas into gram panchayats and empowered tribal communities politically.
He accused the Congress government of betraying SCs and STs after coming to power despite making tall promises before elections.
Harish Rao condemned the arrests of Lambadi women and youth protesting against land acquisition and alleged that even pregnant women were not spared during police action. He said 45 Lambadi youth were jailed for resisting forcible land acquisition.
He alleged that the Congress government failed to implement even a single promise made in the SC/ST Declaration and the Chevella Declaration.
The former minister said 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.
He warned that the Lambadi community in Kodangal would politically defeat Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for targeting tribal lands.
Harish Rao said several welfare assurances made by Congress, including financial assistance for students passing SSC, Intermediate and PG courses, new ITDAs, reservation in contracts and filling backlog posts, were never implemented.
He alleged that while contracts were allegedly awarded to the Chief Minister’s relatives, tribal communities received nothing.
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.
Harish Rao also criticised the government for not increasing housing assistance for SCs and STs as promised.
