Hyderabad, April 15: The State Government has diverted Rs 8,000 crore intended for implementing the sub-plan for Scheduled Castes, Leader of the Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu has alleged.
Speaking at the BR Ambedkar birth anniversary celebrations at the Telugu Desam’s office here today, Naidu alleged that the Congress was considering SCs and STs as a vote bank. “The Congress will use SCs and STs at the time of elections and ignore them later.’’ He alleged that the government was not even spending the amount earmarked in the budget for SCs and STs. “It is not even providing lunch to students in the welfare hostels.’’ Naidu demanded that the government try to protect the rights of SCs and STs enshrined in the Constitution.
He recalled that Bharata Ratna was conferred on Ambedkar only during the rule of the National Front government.
He also claimed that the TDP had played a key role in the making of KR Narayan as President of the country. Naidu said that the TDP had given due importance to the SCs by selecting GMC Balayogi for Lok Sabha Speakership and Pratibha Bharati as Assembly Speaker.
–Agencies