Dalit Bandhu only for dalit votes: Eatala Rajender

Karimnagar: Former minister and BJP leader Eatala Rajender has reiterated that Dalit Bandhu is being implemented by the TRS government only for dalit votes in Huzurabad by-election.

At the Dalit Athmeeya Satkara Sabha in Jammikunta in the district on Wednesday, the former minister said, throughout history people always remembered those who fought for their cause and hence people would remember him for fighting for dalits welfare.

CM K Chandrashekar Rao had promised to make a dalit the Chief Minister of Telangana and stated to behead himself if he failed to do so, but he failed to keep his promise. This would be the case with Dalit Bandhu scheme also, Rajender said.

"The CM promised to make Dalits kings in four years and it was nothing but a deception. The government does not have enough money to give to all dalits in the next 40 years." "I worked as Finance Minister. I know about budget status" he said.

"How much would be left in the budget after spending Rs 60,000 crore annually on debt, another Rs 40,000 crore on salaries, Rs 15,000 crore on Rythu Bandhu, another Rs 15,000 crore on power and rice subsidy and Rs 10,000 crore on other expenses?" he questioned.

If the State government really has the money why was it not paying the bills for the cooks who cook mid-day meals? Why was the government not paying the contract and other workers, Rajender questioned. Saying that they would not stop helping the dalits, he suspected the CM himself might stop it by filing cases in court.

With regard to three acres of land, the KCR gave that assurance knowing well it was impossible. There were 15 lakh poor dalits in the state. It would take 45 lakh acres to give all of them three acres of land, he explained.

Rajender claimed that even if all the leaders of those who are with him were gone, people were with him. 'Those who were moving with me were threatened if they had any government job or contract job' Eatala alleged.