Hyderabad: The All India Congress Committee (AICC) chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday, August 26, released the party’s 12-point ‘SC, ST declaration’, just a few months ahead of the Telangana Assembly elections.
The declaration was launched at the grand old party’s ‘Praja Garjana‘ public meeting held at Chevella.
TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy read aloud all the 12 points in the declaration which included 18 percent reservation for the Scheduled Castes, assertive action towards SC classification, 12 percent reservation for the Scheduled Tribes, Rs 12 lakhs per family to SCs and STs, 18 percent (SCs) and 12 percent (STs) reservation in state government contracts, reservations for SC, STs in private schools and private companies receiving benefits from the government, land for the landless, Rs 6 lakhs help for construction of houses, full proprietary rights on assigned lands given to SCs and full proprietary rights on Podu lands to STs, Rs 25 lakhs per annum each for the development of all Tribal thandas and 3 SC corporations each (Mala, Madiga, other sub-castes) with a budget of Rs 750 cr and 3 ST corporations, each with a budget of Rs 500 cr.
The declaration also includes the establishment of 5 new Integrated Tribal Development Agencies (ITDA) and 9 super specialty hospitals for STs living in the plains of Nalgonda, Mahabubabad, Khammam, Nizamabad, and Mahaboobnagar districts, Revanth said.
Under the ‘Vidya Jyothulu‘ scheme, the Congress promised to deliver Rs 10000, Rs 25000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 5 lakhs for SC, and ST students who complete 10th standard, graduation, post-graduation, M Phil and Ph.D. respectively. It also included establishment of residential schools, a promise of one Gurukul school per Mandal, fee reimbursement, hostel facilities for graduate, and post-graduate students, and financial help for education abroad.
Kharge slams KCR
Addressing a massive crowd, Kharge asserted that the “public is ready to oust chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi” in the upcoming polls.
“Not just one, but many have sacrificed for Telangana’s statehood,” Kharge said, and further pointing at Telangana Congress leaders on the stage, he said, “All of these leaders have fought for Telangana. All of you (public) have fought for Telangana. That is why, Sonia Gandhi ji listened to you all and bifurcated Telangana,” he said.
Without taking the chief minister’s name, the AICC chief said, “Some think Telangana was possible because of them. Telangana was possible because of you (public). Telangana became a reality because of Congress. Where was your party back then? Did you (BRS) have the strength back then at the Centre? We gave that strength. Sonia Gandhi ji tried and made it possible. But it’s sad that we didn’t get the expected support from here when it was needed,” he remarked.
Further attacking KCR, Kharge said that the BRS chief (then TRS) met with Sonia Gandhi in her residence in Delhi, took photographs, and thanked her in 2014. “But once he came out of 10, Janpath, he changed his tone,” he said.
The AICC chief promised that the Congress party will implement the 12-point SC, ST declaration once it comes to power in the state.
He also alleged at a ‘secret friendship’ between the BRS and the BJP and hinted that as a possible reason for KCR ‘going silent’ on the saffron party recently.
“We 26 parties (I.N.D.I.A), want to remove Modi govt, but KCR never attended the meeting. KCR never said that secular parties should unite to remove the BJP,” he remarked.
Kharge also mocked union home minister Amit Shah’s visit to Khammam on August 27. “When Amit Shah asks for a report card tomorrow, tell him we made IIT, IIM, AIIMS, ISRO, DRDO, SAIL, HAL, BEL and ONGC,” he said.
Kharge goes back to 1948
Speaking on the police action on Hyderabad in 1948, Kharge said that the Congress was responsible for “bringing 584 princely states to form the Union of India,” adding further that Hyderabad was “united with India” as part of that process.
“Who did this, the Congress party… Were they (BJP) even born back then?” he asked.
The AICC chief further said that the then union home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru were responsible for bringing the country together. “This goes to our credit…Who gave the country its constitution? Dr B R Ambedkar and the Congress. And they ask us what we did in the last 70 years,” he remarked.
He also said that all the public sector companies in Hyderabad were established under the leadership of PM Nehru.
Kharge’s message of ‘unity’
Kharge took the party’s grand occasion to deliver a message of ‘unity’ to the state party leaders.
“It’s been 56 years since I joined politics. It’s been 52 years since the time I became an MLA or an MP. I have won in 11 out of 12 elections. I lost once because Modiji was behind me. But I am not scared of that. But, when people on the inside cheat you, that is when it becomes difficult. So I urge all the leaders on this stage to work in unity, and success will follow. If we indulge in pulling each other down, the people of Telangana will lose the most,” he remarked.
