TRS, BJP spar over Dalit-Bandhu scheme suspension in poll-bound Huzurabad

The K Chandrasekhar Rao government's welfare scheme which envisaged Rs 10 lakh in aid for select SC families, was suspended by ECI

Days ahead of the Huzurabad bypoll, the TRS and BJP are sparring over the Election Commission of India (ECI) suspending the implementation of the “Dalit-bandhu” scheme in the assembly constituency.

The K Chandrasekhar Rao government's welfare scheme envisages Rs 10 lakh financial assistance for select SC families for their economic empowerment, with ventures like dairy farming, kirana shops.

The programme was initiated ahead of the poll schedule release and is being implemented in a pilot mode in the constituency which has a considerable number of SC voters. The TRS leaders are hopeful that the scheme would swing the result in favour of them.

However, the ECI has on Monday stated that the direct benefit transfers scheme “shall be deferred in the constituency in all its forms till the completion of bye-elections.”

Huzurabad would vote on October 30. The seat held by former health minister Eatala Rajender fell vacant in June after he resigned from TRS and also the assembly membership. Eatala later joined the BJP and is the saffron party's candidate now. The former colleague who has a good hold in the area poses a big challenge to Rao in the polls.

Following the ECI decision, the TRS is blaming the BJP for the programme suspension in Huzurabad.

“Dalit bandhu was not brought in for the sake of Huzurabad polls. It is an ambitious scheme envisaged by the CM in the budget for Dalit empowerment. By getting the scheme suspended, the BJP has betrayed the Dalit community,” alleged Koppula Eshwar, Telangana's social welfare minister.

While it was originally decided to earmark Rs 1,200 crore under the programme for the entire state, Rao had later announced that about Rs 2,000 crore would be expended in Huzurabad alone. Though 21,000 SC families were planned to be covered from the five mandals of the constituency, the number later went above 24,000.

The TRS government has reportedly transferred about Rs 1,655 crores till now into the beneficiaries' bank accounts.

The BJP is disputing the TRS claims and accusations, calling the suspension a failure of CM Rao.

“By not implementing the scheme fully, the CM has allowed the ECI to defer the programme. Rao who said that there would not be any restrictions has later set conditions for the SC families to withdraw and use the money. The CM who is cheating Dalits has conspired to put the blame on others,” Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay said, adding that the Huzurabbad voters would teach the ruling party a lesson.

Meanwhile, Padmanabha Reddy of Forum for Good Governance, an NGO working for reforms, said that they had complained to ECI against the Dalit bandhu implementation in Huzurabad in August “because of the impending polls”.

“It is ridiculous that the programme is stopped now when the elections are only a few days away and after the money was transferred to the beneficiary accounts,” Reddy said.

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