Mala Mahanadu opposes division

Ponnur (Guntur): Disputing the contention of many Dalit leaders including Dalit Mahasabha founder Kathi Padma Rao who reasoned division of State helps members of Dalit Bahujan community to gain socially and economically, Mala Mahanadu president Mallela Venkatrao on Tuesday surprised everyone as he openly opposed Telangana creation and favoured Samaikyandhra. Addressing newsmen here, he called upon the Dalits to attend for ‘Bahujana Garjana’ programme to be held at Vijayawada on September 22. The purpose of the meet was to include Dalit Bahujans into the ongoing Samaikyandhra agitation by educating them on the damage done to them after State division.

He criticised leaders proclaiming themselves as saviours of Dalits for distorting the stand of Indian Constitutional Architect BR Ambedkar on small States. While Ambedkar had favoured creation of small States after they attain self-sufficiency, the so-called champions of Ambedkarism ignored the crucial fact, he said. Andhra Pradesh did not achieve self-sufficiency and thus adopting Ambedkar’s idea of small States for Telangana was against the very spirit of Ambedkar philosophy, Venkatrao elaborated. The intellectuals should think about the fate of welfare schemes intended for Dalits, minorities and BCs after the division, he said.