Congress To Back Harshvardhan Reddy In MLC Elections

The Congress today announced its support to Galreddy Harshvardhan Reddy's candidature for the Mahbubnagar - Ranga Reddy - Hyderabad teachers' constituency seat in the upcoming biennial elections to the Telangana State Legislative Council.

Congress MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy, along with TPCC Working President Mahesh Kumar Goud and other leaders, made the announcement at a press conference in Gandhi Bhavan.

Uttam Kumar Reddy highlighted Harshvardhan Reddy's "18 years of dedicated service to the teachers' fraternity", stating that the founder of the Progressive Recognised Teachers' Union (PRTU) had the capacity and experience to represent teachers in the Legislative Council, and appealed to all teachers in the Mahbubnagar - Ranga Reddy - Hyderabad teachers' constituency to elect Harshavardhan Reddy by giving him their first priority votes.

Uttam Kumar Reddy also made several assurances to teachers and government staff. He said that if the Congress returned to power, it would restore the Old Pension Scheme by scrapping the CRS for teachers and other government employees, citing Rajasthan, Chattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh as examples where the old scheme is already being implemented.

He also promised that the contentious GO 317 would be scrapped immediately.

The Congress MP also announced that health cards would be issued to teachers of all residential schools and colleges, as well as those working with the KGBV schools.

He also promised to streamline promotions and transfers, and also to ensure that all teachers and government staff were paid their salaries on the first of every month.

He also pledged that the "next" Congress government would fill all vacant teacher posts, and address issues including regular PRC and the payment of DAs.

Reddy also accused the BRS government of failing to honour its promises to contract lecturers, and pledged that the Congress would regularize all contract lecturers on a priority basis.