BJP, TRS Govts Are Anti-Dalits, Anti-Tribals: Uttam

Hyderabad, Feb 17 (Maxim News): Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has alleged that both BJP and TRS were against reservation for SCs, STs and BCs and their governments at the Centre and State want the caste-based quotas to be scrapped.

Addressing a dharna at Dharna Chowk, Indira Park on Monday, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Supreme Court’s recent verdict stating that reservation for SCs and STs was no fundamental right was quite shocking and the judgment was the result of misleading and wrong representation made by the BJP Government on the issue. He alleged that BJP and RSS were against reservation for SC, ST, OBC and minorities. However, he said that the Congress party would never let BJP and RSS to succeed in their dreams of scrapping reservation.

Stating that the Congress party’s dharna was non-political, he said there were no elections around and the protest has been organised to instill confidence among Dalits, Girijans, OBCs and minorities that the ongoing reservation would continue come what may. He said the SC judgement has created lot of confusion and the Modi Government was not giving any clarity by re-assuring the SC, ST, OBC and minorities that the ongoing quota would remain untouched.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that only Congress party empowered Dalits and other weaker sections. He said a Dalit leader, Damodar Sanjeevaiah, became the Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh. He said this was possible only under Congress regime. He asked whether any Dalit would get a similar opportunity in TRS. He said Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao came to power on the promise of making a Dalit CM. Instead, he said KCR himself became the Chief Minister of Telangana and did not even give any representation to Madigas in his cabinet.

The TPCC Chief also slammed the TRS for its silence on the promise of enhancing quota for Muslims and STs in Telangana. He said TRS MPs did not raise the issue in the Parliament even once. Stating that no legal hurdles were involved to enhance ST quota, he demanded that reservation percentage for Scheduled Tribes in Telangana be increased to 10% without further delay.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Congress party empowers Dalits, Tribals, BCs, minorities and other weaker sections in all spheres of lives. He reminded that the it was Congress regime which introduced reservation in premier institutions like IITs and IIMs. He said Congress even tried to provide reservation to BCs in law making bodies. However, he said that the present BJP and TRS Governments were against socio-economic, educational and political empowerment of Dalits and Tribals and therefore, they have been hatching conspiracies to erase the existing quotas in a systematic manner.

The TPCC Chief demanded that the curative legal and legislative measures be taken to protect SC, ST reservation, especially in view of recent judgment of Supreme Court and announced that the Congress party would continue its struggle to protect the ongoing caste-based quotas across the country. (Maxim News)