Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Uttam Kumar Reddy on Sunday found fault with the dereliction of the TRS government of its duties concerning the welfare of the Scheduled Tribes contrary to the promises made in its election manifesto.
Accusing the State government of neglecting the tribals, Reddy said that the real purpose of separate statehood would be lost if the STs were not empowered in every aspect.
Addressing a meeting to canvas for Congress candidate Sucharitha Reddy in Khammam Rural as part of the Party's campaign for the by-election for the Palair Assembly constituency, the TPCC chief said that almost all the promises made to the tribals by the TRS government remained ignored.
He said that before coming to the power, the TRS had promised 3 acres of land, employment, establishment of a tribal university and conversion of Tandas into Gram Panchayats. But none of these promises was fulfilled.
He further said that the TRS had promised effective implementation of the SC-ST Sub-Plan by formulating rules. However, nothing had been done so far, and the TRS government did not spend even 50% of the funds under the SC-ST Sub-Plan.
Elaborating on the unfulfilled promises of the TRS government to tribals, Reddy said that as per the Forest Rights Act tribals were entitled to 10 acres of the land for cultivation and other purposes. But the TRS government had failed to provide even the 3 acres' land that it had promised. Instead of providing land to the tribals, the State government was harassing the aborigines in the State by filing cases on those who were continuing their cultivation activities on forest lands, in the name of Harithaharam and regularization of lands, he alleged. (The TRS government had asked the tribals to regularize their lands and obtain pattas if they were farming past 2006.)
He said that nearly 25 lakh acres of such lands of tribals across the state awaited regularization, and owing to the financial burden that entailed the tribals were unable to pay and procure their certificates
Reddy also asked the TRS government when the process of establishing a tribal university would begin. And he also alleged that the TRS government's promise of giving 12% reservations for STs was still a mirage.
Reddy said that the State government had promised to establish an Integrated Tribal Development Authority (ITDA) in several districts in Telangana. But it never discussed this issue after coming to power. He pointed out that currently Bhadrachalam in Khammam, Eturinagaram in Warangal and Utnoor in Adilabad had ITDA, and that there was a need for these bodies in the Mahaboobnagar, Hyderabad, Nalgonda and other districts.
The TPCC chief alleged that the TRS government was trying to cover up its failures by resorting to mud-slinging against political opponents. Instead of concentrating on development, the TRS government, especially Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was focused on strengthening the Party through illegal and unethical means.
He said that KCR and his team had turned so arrogant that they were not hesitating to target a deceased MLA, Ramreddy Venkatreddy, who had served the people of Palair for several decades.
"This is the beginning of the end of the TRS misrule in the State. The people of Palair will teach a fitting lesson to the TRS by electing Congress candidate Sucharitha Reddy," he said.