Congress Lists BRS Failures as Chargesheet Committee Gets to Work

HYDERABAD: The TPCC, which is upbeat over hosting the Congress Working Committee meeting in Hyderabad and expecting senior leaders’ presence to further bolster its poll prospects, has decided to actively take on the BRS by constituting a chargesheet committee.

Comprising heads of various constituent committees, the chargesheet committee will list out failures of the ruling BRS to the public, TPCC leaders said.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Ramulu Naik, vice chairman of the chargesheet committee, said, “The party will haul up the BRS for its corruption and failure to provide welfare. The government concentrated more on constructing vaikunta dhamams and ignored belt shops, and failed to deliver on the core issues of water, funds and jobs. A CAG report clearly stated that Rs 48,000 crore was diverted in the construction of the Kaleshwaram project. The probe into the liquor scam was stopped midway and Kavitha evaded arrest.”

“Having failed to keep his words to the BCs, KCR promised he would strive to achieve 33 per cent reservation for them in the legislature in his 2018 manifesto, but failed,” he said.

The failure of KCR is stark when it comes to the BCs, says Nuthi Srikanth Goud, a member of the chargesheet committee. “He made 30 promises in 2014 along with a promise to spend Rs 25,000 crore for them in the next five years,” he said.

Listing out the promises made to BCs, Goud said that the government failed to ensure Rs 1,000 crore each for traditional vocations and BC finance corporations. “We will seek review of GO 767 which does not promise pension or insurance coverage to toddy tappers who die by accident,” he said.

Belliah Naik, chairman of Adivasi Congress Cell, said that the 10 per cent reservation enacted recently is not being implemented and that tribal hamlets were recognised as panchayats without funds.

“Under the Forest Rights Act tribals should get rights over 12 lakh acres but only four lakh acres of land has been identified so far. As of now there is no clarity on these lands also. There is no scope for completing the process before the elections,” said Belliah Naik.

He said that 30,000 acres given to tribals by previous regimes were taken for the Haritha Haram programme. Besides the unfulfilled land promise, the promise to give bullocks, seeds and input costs for the first crop was not kept, Naik said.

Questioning the priorities of the BRS government, he said, “Giving Kalyana Lakshmi and not providing fee reimbursement has meant students stopping their studies midway as families choose to marry their daughters off. Girls drop out of studies once they have children to take care of. Those who cannot pay fees are not getting their certificates from private institutes. Drop outs are also happening when students are given college seats in distant places as they cannot afford the expenses.”

Naik said that a lack of ration cards for tribals left them unable to avail of subsidies.

“The state should have a tribal commission to address woes of tribals like atrocities on them but has not been constituted. Only 43 to 49 per cent of the budget allocated for tribals is being spent every year. The state owes at least Rs 50,000 crores to tribals so far,” he said.

Mettu Sai, the chairman of the Fishermen Congress alleged that the government was providing poor quality fish. He demanded aid for injury and ex gratia for death be increased from Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh each.