Amaravati: Government responds immediately in SC, ST atrocities cases: Pinipe Viswaroop

Amaravati: Minister for Social Welfare Pinipe Viswaroop has said never in the history of the State has a Chief Minister responded so fast as YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in the cases of atrocities against SCs and STs.

Reacting on the accusations made by Amalapuram former MP Harsha Kumar on atrocities against SCs and STs, he told the media here on Wednesday that he has the responsibility of responding to the remarks.

In the case of tonsure of a man at Rajamahendravaram and in the death of a youth in Chirala, it was policemen who were the accused and within 24 hours they were immediately suspended andbooked under SC, ST Atrocities Act and sentto jail, he said.

Referring to Harsha Kumar's comment that Disha Act was not implemented in a minor girl's rape case, the Minister said that the former MP was ignorant of the fact and said that immediate action was taken and Disha Act can be implemented only after it gets the President's approval.

"Harsha also accused me of not installing the statue of BR Ambedkar," the Minister recalled stating that Konaseema has been the birthplace of Dalit movements and he was involved in the movements right from his school time.

"Harsha had twice become MP from Amalapuram thanks to the good offices of YS Rajasekhara Reddy but was never involved in Dalit movements," the Minister said. People of Amalapuram know how many Ambedkar statues that he had erected in the region.

He said Harsha never strove for Dalts rights but only used them as a mask to foster his own interests.

It was during Kusuma Krishna Murty's tenure as the MP of Amalapuram for three terms that a bronze statue of Ambedkar was installed, which was later removed and thrown into a dustbin by the Telugu Desam government, he alleged.

Why did Harsha who was the MP of Amalapuram for two terms not get the idea of installing a bronze statue of Ambedkar in Amalapuram, he asked. "Harsha should know his facts well before making irrelevant remarks against the ruling party."