HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday accused the BJP of hatching a conspiracy to reduce Lok Sabha constituencies in the southern states under the pretext of increasing the seats by 50 per cent.
He called for a protracted struggle against the Union government, demanding an increase in half the seats based on the pro rata principle and the other half based on GSDP of the states.
Addressing the gathering during the 135th birth anniversary celebrations of Dr BR Ambedkar here in Hyderabad, the chief minister said that the Centre’s plan on delimitation of constituencies would result in grave injustice to women, SC and ST communities in the southern states.
“Are the Union ministers from southern states aware of the Centre’s attempt to reduce seats in southern states?” he wondered.
Stating that the Congress government accorded top priority to the empowerment of SCs in the state, he pointed out that the BRS leaders never garlanded a statue of Ambedkar during their 10-year rule.
Revanth, meanwhile, targeted his predecessor K Chandrasekhar Rao for not attending the Assembly sessions. “KCR insulted the Speaker by staying away from the House,” he said.
Asking if the sons and daughters of the Dalit community are not entitled to serve as the finance and health ministers, he said: “It’s our people-centric government that brought about a transformation where those who once insulted Dalits are now compelled to request a Dalit individual for a microphone to speak in the Assembly.”
Stating that some leaders were attempting to sabotage the government’s efforts to empower the poorer sections, he urged the people to “bury” the BRS for practising politics of betrayal.
Recalls role of weaker sections in TG movement
The chief minister, meanwhile, recalled the contribution of revolutionary singer Gaddar and popular poet Ande Sri in the statehood movement. “The marginalised and weaker sections of society played an important role in the Telangana movement. Gaddar through his songs galvanised the movement and Ande Sri penned the Telangana song Jaya Jaya He Telangana,” he said.
Speaking about the yeoman service rendered by Mahatma Gandhi and Ambedkar to the country, he said: “Mahatma Gandhi proved that a war could be won through peace without shedding a single drop of blood. Ambedkar’s role in steering the nation onto the path of development was equally significant. We consider Mahatma and Babasaheb to be the two eyes of this nation. The entire world is now embracing and following Ambedkar’s ideals.”
“Ambedkar strongly believed that education alone holds the power to transform our lives. His philosophy constitutes the very essence of our democratic governance. It was through Article 3 of the Constitution that Sonia Gandhi facilitated the formation of the state of Telangana,” he added.
To empower the poor, he said that the current Congress dispensation in Telangana increased diet charges for students in government hostels, establishing Young India Integrated Schools with the aim of eliminating caste-based disparities and introducing Telangana Public Schools with the objective of providing quality education.
“In just two years, our government distributed 4.5 lakh Indiramma houses. The majority of beneficiaries of this scheme are Dalits and tribals,” he said, adding that 87 per cent of the jobs created have been given to SC, ST, BC and Minority communities.