Speaking at a poll rally here, Chief Minister Rao also said he designed the Dalit Bandhu scheme for Telangana after seeing the plight of Dalits, including attacks on them in North Indian states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh and also in PM Modi’s home state, Gujarat.
Exuding confidence that the BRS is going to win the November 30 Assembly polls, “come what may” Rao, also known as KCR, said if the Congress is voted to power, they will abolish welfare schemes.
Taking a swipe at AICC former president Rahul Gandhi, the Telangana chief minister said the Congress leader does not know about agriculture and just reads scripts written by someone else.
Hitting out at Modi and the Central government, he alleged, “There is a mad policy of privatisation. Everything is being privatised. He is selling LIC also. Railways is also privatised. Airports are also privatised. In the same madness, they wanted to privatise the power sector also. But in Telangana we kept it under the government”. He further said the Modi-led government wanted to fix meters on the agricultural pumpsets and the BRS regime has not allowed it despite losing Rs 5,000 crore per annum.
On the Dalit Bandhu scheme, under which the state government gives Rs 10 lakh financial assistance to start any business, KCR said even now attacks are taking place against Dalits in some North India states and also Gujarat, which prompted the government to come out with the programme to provide a helping hand to SC people.
“Even now in North India, every day there are attacks on Dalits. In Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and the Prime Minister’s home state, Gujarat, attacks are going on against Dalits. Women are being raped. What is this plight? Are we a democratic country…?” he asked.
He said some political parties used to treat Dalits as “vote banks” and have not done anything for them when they were in power. As the constituency shares the border with neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Rao said, “If there is a double road (big road) it is Telangana, a single road (small road) it is Andhra.” He alleged that the Congress party promised 24 hours of power to farmers in Karnataka, but ended up giving only five hours a day.
Requesting to vote for his party’s candidates, Rao said unless people use their conscience to think and vote, democratic maturity will not come. Amounts for social pensions and Ruythu Bandhu will be gradually increased, besides supplying LPG cylinder at Rs 400. As many as 93 lakh BPL families in the state will be given health insurance cover to meet medical needs, he assured.
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