HYDERABAD: Cut to the quick by the BJP’s trenchant criticism of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao over his proposal for a new Constitution for the nation, IT Minister KT Rama Rao on Friday asked the saffron party leaders whether they considered former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat as ‘anti-Ambedkarites’ for suggesting changes to the Constitution in the past.
Addressing schoolchildren, teachers and residents of Nagarkurnool who gathered for the inauguration of the new campus for ZPHS Thimmajipet, Rama Rao reminded that it was Vajpayee who had constituted a committee in 2001 to suggest possible amendments to the Constitution, and Bhagwat too had openly stated that a new Constitution was needed in the country.
“Three years after drafting the Constitution, Ambedkar himself had said that he himself would “burn” it if the rulers deviated from its provisions. KCR had only raised his objections to the way Dalits and farmers were meted out injustice in the Union Budget. This is unnecessarily being made a major issue by BJP and some other political parties,” Rama Rao said.He emphasised that Chandrasekhar Rao believes and follows the principles of Ambedkar “to teach, organise and agitate”.
“KCR has followed these principles for 14 years to achieve statehood for Telangana. He is a true Ambedkarite. If you claim to be the followers of Ambedkar, implement Dalit Bandhu scheme across the nation,” Rama Rao dared the BJP leaders.He hoped that Ramanujacharya, whose memorial at Muchintal near Shamshabad would be dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, would appear in the PM’s dreams on Friday night, directing him to treat Telangana ‘equally’ on par with other States.
“Not even a single educational institution has been sanctioned to Telangana by the Centre in the past seven years. Our requests for the Raichur-Macharla railway line, the industrial corridor on Hyderabad-Bengaluru highway, and even national project status for Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme have all fallen on deaf ears. On the other hand, they have granted national project status to the Upper Bhadra Project in neighbouring Karnataka,” Rama Rao said, once again hoping that Sri Ramanujacharya would show the right direction to the Prime Minister in his dreams.
He said that Chandrasekhar Rao was the only Chief Minister in the country to fund 10 lakh marriages by implementing Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak schemes, releasing Rs 50,000 crore under Rythu Bandhu and for giving pensions to 40 lakh beneficiaries under various Aasara schemes. Earlier in the day, Rama Rao inaugurated 40 2BHK Dignity houses built in Kodugal village of Jadcherla mandal in Mahbubnagar district.