KT Rama Rao, the Municipal Administration Minister and working president of the BRS party, expressed reservations about the recent statement by Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the potential appointment of a Backward Classes (BC) leader as the chief minister of Telangana if the BJP were to secure victory in the upcoming Assembly elections.
Rao questioned the abrupt replacement of Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar, a BC community member, as the Telangana BJP president.He also highlighted the longstanding plea for the establishment of a separate OBC Welfare Ministry, which has yet to be addressed by the NDA government.
“We’ve been urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to establish this ministry since 2014, but concrete steps have not been taken,” remarked KTR, speaking to reporters in Hyderabad.He emphasized that both the state Assembly and the BRS plenary had advocated for the OBC Ministry, but these appeals were overlooked by the Union government.
Rao further pondered whether the condition of BCs in the country had seen improvement since Prime Minister Modi, who hails from the OBC community, assumed office in 2014.He questioned whether all Scheduled Tribes (STs) and women in the country have benefited significantly since Droupadi Murmu, an ST representative, became the President of India.
“It’s a misconception that an entire community automatically prospers when a leader from that community holds a high office,” he added.
Addressing another query, Rao emphasized that, unlike in Andhra Pradesh, the ruling BRS party refrains from engaging in vindictive politics.He pointed out that Revanth Reddy, the president of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee, could have faced legal consequences in a cash-for-votes scandal if the same approach as in Andhra Pradesh was adopted.
Over the past nine and a half years, the state has not experienced curfews or drought, Rao stated, emphasizing the stable governance.
In response to allegations of sponsored farmers from Karnataka, Rao suggested visiting Karnataka to gain a more accurate understanding of the situation.
He also criticized the Congress government in Karnataka for its failure to provide consistent power supply, and he remarked on Mahatma Gandhi’s post-independence endorsement of disbanding the Congress party, which, he noted, still persists today, causing disruptions.
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