Hyderabad: Telangana Finance Minister T Harish Rao said that chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s decision to introduce English medium education in government schools is making the BJP and Congress unhappy because they don’t want children of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward castes, and the poor who predominantly go to public schools to study.
Addressing the media on Sunday, Harish Rao targetted the opposition on a range of issues from Dalit Bandhu to Central assistance to the state.
“I don’t understand why Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay and TPCC Chief Revanth Reddy are feeling the heat when CM KCR wants to introduce English medium in public schools. I think they are just worried that our government will get the credit for doing a great job,” he said.
Harish said that it is important for children to study in English medium so that they can compete and get successful on an international level. “Even the poor labourers are sending children to private schools because the government schools teach in Telugu medium. CM KCR’s decision to shift public schools to English medium is a revolutionary move. BJP, as everyone says, is a corporate party. They are in support of corporate schools. Otherwise, why are they so upset?” he asked.
The minister demanded Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to introduce Dalit Bandhu at the national level and increase spending on Dalits.
“Telangana’s SC population is at 54 lakhs. And our budget for them is at Rs 19,313 crores. That comes down to an expenditure of Rs 35,699 per Dalit family. According to the Central government’s budget, it is Rs 6269 per Dalit family. That means, our spending is five times that of the Union government’s expenditure. BJP leaders offer love to the minorities only via words but their actions don’t match them,” he remarked.
He further stated that prior to the formation of the state, spending on SC welfare was at Rs 6198 crores for a span of ten years under Congress’s rule. “In close to 8 years of the TRS government, we have spent Rs 24,114 crores. Why are congress leaders silent on this?” he asked.
“When the new state formed, there were 134 SC Gurukul schools. Now there are 268 of the same. The numbers have doubled. 3390 teacher vacancies in SC residential schools have been filled. We have also established SC women’s residential degree colleges. Today we have 53 of them. Credit goes to CM KCR for all this,” he said.
The minister attacked the BJP led centre by saying that the plan to sell public companies like BHEL, BDL, LIC, Railways, Air India to corporates is leading to SCs losing reservations in those companies. “If you really have affection for SCs and STs, why don’t you bring reservations for them in private companies,” he added.
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