TRS tries to prevent Dalit Bandhu’s cascading effect
The TRS leadership is taking all precautions to ensure that its recent focus on Dalits and the Dalit Bandhu scheme does not upset people of other castes nor give scope for the Opposition parties to distance non-Dalits from the ruling party.
Sources in the TRS said the government would soon take up extensive campaigning using cultural troupes of Telangana Samskruthika Samithi to explain how non-Dalits had benefited through the TRS government’s schemes of Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima, 24x7 free power to agriculture, sheep distribution, seeding lakes with fish, prawns etc.
The move comes in the wake of the Opposition parties trying to polarise non-Dalits against the TRS by demanding schemes like BC Bandhu, Minority Bandhu, etc. The government will publicise castewise data on the number of beneficiaries of the TRS government’s schemes over the past seven years.
An attempt to pacify and convince non-Dalits in this regard was already made by TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao while addressing the public meeting in Huzurabad on Monday after launching Dalit Bandhu scheme.
Rao said when the state government had transferred over `50,000 crore Rythu Bandhu amount to farmers since 2018, Dalits in the state never opposed the programme. Similarly, when the government spent `4,000 crore for Rythu Bima and 24x7 free power to agriculture, Dalits did not oppose, he added.
Majority of Dalit farmers do not own agriculture lands due to which they lost these benefits. Similarly, when the government spent `12,000 crore for sheep distribution to Yadavs/Kurumas, `5,000 crore for releasing fishlings in lakes and tanks for the benefit of fishermen community, free power to dhobi ghats, saloons for Rajaka community etc, Dalits did not oppose, Rao stated.
He urged all non-Dalit communities to support Dalit Bandhu keeping in mind that unlike other castes, Dalits had been suffering not just economically but facing social discrimination for centuries.
The benefits being accorded by the state government to OCs (open categories) like EWS (economically weaker sections) quota in education and employment, fee reimbursement and scholarships to OCs under EBC (economically backward classes) category, financial assistance to Brahmin community through Telangana Brahmin Samkshema Parishad etc will be publicised extensively to send a message that the TRS has concern towards the welfare of all castes and not just Dalits, according to sources.