Koppula Lambasts Congress' SC, ST Declaration, Calls It Drama

Minister for Social Welfare Koppula Eshwar today lambasted the Congress for "enacting dramas" in the name of an SC/ST declaration for Telangana, and dared it to implement the declaration first in the States in which it was already in power.

Speaking at a press conference, the minister said that the Congress had consistently cheated the dalits and tribals in the 50 years that it had ruled the country, and had done nothing for their development.

"There are more than 40 crore dalits and tribals in the country who will attest to that. And they are not innocent enough to believe the words of the Congress once again," Eshwar said.

The minister also found fault with All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge who released the declaration in Telangana.

"Mallikarjun Kharge should release the SC/ST declaration in the Congress-ruled States, not in Telangana. Unless he does that, no one in Telangana will believe that the party will implement it here," Eshwar said.

Terming the Congress' electoral promise of a Rs 12 lakh per family Dalit Bandhu scheme as a big joke, the minister dared Kharge to give at least Rs 5 lakh under a similar scheme in the Congress-ruled States.

He said that the Congress did not have any love and affection towards the dalits or tribals, and cared only for their votes. "As elections are approaching in Telangana, the Congress leaders are enacting dramas in the name of an SC, ST declaration," he claimed.