Join BRS or no BC Bandhu threat to applicants: BJP

HYDERABAD: The BJP on Saturday charged the BRS government and ruling party leaders with violating BC Bandhu scheme rules and said that applicants were being forced to join the BRS to be selected as beneficiaries.

Dubbak MLA Raghunandan Rao said the government was not releasing the list of beneficiaries and in Siddipet district – in which his Assembly constituency falls – around 26,000 applications were received for the BC Bandhu scheme. The scheme is applicable only to 14 of the 93 castes that comprise the Backward Classes and the government must extend it to all the BC groups, he said.

Raghunandan Rao told reporters that the Rs1 lakh benefit was being distributed by BRS leaders and government officials. In some cases, against all rules, two from one family were being picked to receive the money. The government must immediately ensure that qualified persons were selected and that the applicants not be blackmailed, he said.