Left Fears SC-ST Sub-Plan Act Abolishment

Seven Left parties, including CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML) New Democracy, MCPI(U), SUCI(C), and RSP, demanded that the Telangana government continue the SC/ST Sub-Plan Act as it was and said they wouldn't entertain the government in case the latter tried to discredit the Act.

The meeting of the seven Left parties was held at Maqdhoom Bhavan on Tuesday on SC/ST Sub-Plan Act under the chairmanship of CPI(M) State Secretary G Nagaiah.

The meeting discussed the Telangana government's announcement that it would change the nuances of the SC/ST Sub-Plan. The meeting alleged that the TRS government was trying to divert the majority share of the funds following the footsteps of the previous governments of united Andhra Pradesh.

The communist parties recalled the "struggles" of communist parties, peoples' organisations, dalits, tribals, and intellectuals to achieve the SC/ST Sub-Plan Act, and feared that all the struggle would be watered down as the TRS government might abolish the Act, now that the Centre allegedly removed the budget allocations for the sub-plan from the Union Budget 2017.

They decided to extend their solidarity to the dalit, adivasi and tribal people's agitations regarding the sub-plan.