The next chief minister of Telangana will be from the backward classes if the Bharatiya Janata Party comes to power in the Assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared on Friday, reported PTI.
Telangana will go to polls on November 30. The counting of votes will take place on December 3.
Addressing an election rally in Suryapet, Shah recalled that Bharat Rashtra Samithi supremo K Chandrashekar Rao had promised to make a Dalit person the state’s chief minister in 2014, reported the Hindustan Times.
“He conveniently ignored his promise,” he said. “He is now trying to project his son KT Rama Rao as his successor.”
The BJP leader accused the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi, along with the Congress party, of being “anti-poor and anti-Dalit”.
He added, “While BJP’s aim is the welfare of the poor, the aim of Congress and BRS is the welfare of their respective families.”
Shah then asked Rao a series of questions about the promises he had made earlier. He asked if the chief minister had allocated the promised budget of Rs 50,000 crore for the welfare of the Scheduled Caste community.
He also stated that Rao had promised to spend Rs 10,000 crore every year for the welfare of the backward classes. “What happened to the promise?” he asked.
The home minister claimed that the BJP is the only party that strives for the welfare of the people and the development of the nation.
“Telangana can be developed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he asserted. “Are you going to support him for another term at the helm or not?”
Shah said that the BJP government at the Centre has introduced several measures for the welfare of the backward classes, such as making the provision for a Backward Class Commission in the Constitution.
He also recalled the Union government’s recent announcement of setting up a Central Tribal University in Telangana named after tribal goddesses Sammakka-Sarakka and a National Turmeric Board for the benefit of farmers in the state.
On October 22, the BJP released the first list of 52 candidates for the upcoming elections. Three Lok Sabha MPs, including former state unit president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, are included in the list.
In the 2018 Assembly elections, the Bharat Rashtra Samiti won 88 out of 119 seats while Congress secured 19 seats.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!