BRS Leader Harish Rao Slams Congress Government Over Unfulfilled Promises to SC, ST Communities

Hyderabad: At a demonstration staged by the Lambadi Rights Protection Committee at Indira Park on Tuesday, BRS veteran T. Harish Rao levelled serious accusations against the ruling Congress government, claiming it has reneged on assurances extended to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe populations.

Describing the gathering as a manifestation of the dignity movement among Lambadi and tribal communities, Harish Rao drew parallels to earlier mobilisations. He reminded the audience that tribal organisations had mounted sustained campaigns during the pre-Telangana period under the rallying cry "Hamara Tanda Mein Hamara Raj", only to face dismissal by successive Congress administrations under Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Rosaiah and Kiran Kumar Reddy.

In contrast, the former minister highlighted the BRS administration's track record under K. Chandrasekhar Rao, noting that it had transformed 3,146 tandas into gram panchayats and enhanced political representation for tribal populations.

Turning to current grievances, Harish Rao condemned police actions against protesting Lambadi women and youth, specifically citing the detention of pregnant women and the incarceration of 45 Lambadi youth opposing forced land seizures. He asserted that the government had breached commitments articulated in both the SC/ST Declaration and the Chevella Declaration.

The former minister claimed that Congress had campaigned on providing land rights for podu lands but had subsequently overseen the acquisition of roughly 50,000 acres belonging to SC and ST communities for industrial and corporate ventures. He predicted that Lambadi voters in Kodangal would hold Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy politically accountable over tribal land concerns.

Harish Rao also highlighted other unfulfilled pledges, including student financial assistance, establishment of new ITDAs, contract reservation provisions, and recruitment against backlog vacancies. He questioned the government's ambitious two lakh jobs promise, noting that official Assembly statements indicated only approximately 16,000 positions had been filled to date. Additionally, he criticised the administration's failure to enhance housing support for SC and ST beneficiary households as previously pledged.