Hyderabad : TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy stokes Dalits to slam KCR

Hyderabad : Hitting out at Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president N Uttam Kumar Reddy said that K Chandrashekar Rao had repeatedly betrayed Dalits despite becoming the CM with their blessings.

Addressing the Dalitha Avedana Deeksha on Sunday, organised to protest the atrocities on Dalits in the State, Uttam reminded how K Chandrashekar Rao went back on the promise of making a Dalit as CM. "The Madiga community, despite being the largest community and making up to 12 per cent of the State's population, is not represented in the State cabinet," he added.

Reddy said that when Congress leaders met Chief Minister to submit a memorandum regarding the death of Mariyamma, the Chief Minister apparently told them that he was not aware of the incident. This was a blatant lie as the High court had already ordered a judicial probe into the matter, he said.

He added that the death of Mariyamma, a native of Chintakani mandal of Khammam district, in the Addagudur police station on June 17, was heartrending one. He said that the Dalits in the State were meted out with injustice and added that Mariyamma succumbed to police brutality.

He wondered how the Chief Minister could call for a meeting with Dalits on empowering them. Apart from Mariyamma, Dalits like Narasimhulu, Rajababu and Rangaiah also died due to the highhandedness of police and upper caste people, he said. He reminded that the Congress had made Damodaram Sanjeevaiah, a Dalit, as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and also elected him as president of All India Congress Committee.

Uttam faulted with BJP for criticising the Congress for giving memorandum to the Chief Minister on Mariyamma's death. He said that leaders who frequently change political parties have no right to criticise the Congress.

CLP leader in Assembly Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Congress MLAs Jagga Reddy, Sridhar Babu, former PCC president P Laxmaiah, AICC official spokesperson D Sravan, former Minister J Geetha Reddy, AICC secretary Sampath and several other senior Congress leaders participated in the programme.