Kharge to announce SC, ST Declaration in Chevella on Aug 18
Telangana Congress incharge Manikrao Thakre speaking at the Telangana Adivasi Congress Maha Sabha at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad on Sunday. Photo: G Ramesh
Hyderabad: Gearing up for the Assembly elections, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee has decided to hold a huge public meeting on August 18. This meeting assumes importance as AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge will announce the SC and ST declaration here on the day.
Briefing the media after a meeting of senior leaders of the party on Sunday, TPCC president A Revanth Reddy said the Congress is the only party that would do justice to SCs and STs. “If voted to power, the Congress party will enhance the reservation quota of SCs and STs in proportion to their population,” he added.
This will be the third major declaration to be unveiled by the Congress party. Last year, Rahul Gandhi had announced the Farmers’ Declaration at a public meeting in Warangal while Priyanka Gandhi had released the Youth Declaration at a public meeting in Hyderabad on May 8. Revanth said the BRS government led by KCR was doing injustice to the SCs by snatching away the lands which were allotted to them by the Congress governments in the past.
Revanth said the KCR government was earning thousands of crores by auctioning 25 lakh acres of assigned lands or lands allotted to Dalits and had usurped 10 lakh acres of Podu lands of tribals.
Meanwhile, AICC in-charge for Telangana Manikrao Thakare has said the Congress is committed to the welfare of the Scheduled Tribes. Addressing a meeting of tribals at Gandhi Bhavan, he said Rahul Gandhi interacted with tribals during Bharat Jodo Yatra and had done detailed study of their problems. Thakare alleged that the RSS was conspiring to scrap the reservation of the Backward Classes. He said differences were being created between the Hindus and Muslims and between the tribals and Adivasis.
The August 18 public meeting will also see former minister and BJP leader A Chandra Sekhar joining the Congress. Revanth Reddy met him hours after he had resigned from the BJP. A day ahead of the meeting, the TPCC is likely to announce its poll manifesto.