Telangana Finance Minister T Harish Rao today hit out at the leaders of the Opposition for allegedly "hatching a conspiracy" against the TRS government's new Dalit Bandhu scheme.
"Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will launch the Dalit Bandhu program on a pilot basis at Huzurabad on August 16. The state head of the BJP, Bandi Sanjay, has been demanding that we provide aid of Rs 50 lakh to each eligible ST household under the scheme while we have promised to provide Rs 10 lakh each. If he can press the Centre, Sanjay himself can get the additional Rs 40 lakh for our Dalit families. And, if he does so successfully, we will perform the Palabhishekam ceremony to photographs of Prime Minister Modi," the minister told the media after conducting an aerial survey of Huzurabad along with Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar.
He then lambasted BJP leader former minister Etala Rajender for opposing the ST empowerment scheme and claimed, "As I recall, Rajender, when he was a minister, had welcomed the Rythu Bandhu scheme, which was also launched from Huzurabad. But now, fearing defeat in the upcoming Huzurabad by-election, he has been making all sorts of unfounded statements about the Dalit Bandhu scheme. Many leaders of the Opposition have been saying that the scheme is being taken up for the sake of electoral gains. Let me remind them all that the scheme had already been announced in the Assembly by KCR before campaigns for the Huzurabad seat had even begun."
"The BJP and the Congress are deliberately attempting to cause panic and confusion by spreading misinformation about the Dalit Bandhu initiative. It has been clearly stated that the CM will launch the support scheme at Huzurabad on August 16. He will give Rs 10 lakh each to 15 selected beneficiaries. After observing the implementation in a pilot phase, the scheme will be implemented across the state in a phased manner. We are currently preparing guidelines and curating a list of eligible families who will receive aid," Rao added.
Voicing his displeasure at the Congress and the BJP for "coming in the way of the scheme", he also said that both parties were creating hurdles to the implementation of a scheme that would prove beneficial for the Dalit community of the state.
The leader asserted that despite the Opposition's attempts to create hurdles, the scheme would be launched in Huzurabad on a pilot basis.
Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar also echoed similar thoughts and added that a state-level committee of officials would monitor the implementation of the scheme.
Addressing a press conference at the Collector's office in Karimnagar along with SC development secretary Rahul Bojja, Kumar stated that the aim of the scheme was to empower the Dalit community and that there was "no doubt" that it would be implemented across Telangana.
It is pertinent here to mention that though the scheme is yet to be launched officially, KCR, on a recent visit to Vasalamarri village, had
released funds of Rs 7.60 crore for 76 SC families.