Telangana congress to start "Mission 31" program

Hyderabad June 22: The Telangana Congress wants to capture the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) reserved seats with "Mission 31" program creating leadership and strengthening existing ones.

Senior Congress leaders who spoke at the day-long session for leaders of various groups in SC and ST constituencies felt that Telangana has great potential for the Congress to garner the maximum of the 31 reserved seats for SCs and STs.

AICC SC Cell chairman Koppula Raju explained the Punjab model which was developed by SDJM Prasad, AICC SC Cell in charge of Punjab, Karnataka, Telangana and AP, where the Congress won in 22 out of the 34 reserved constituencies and that too overcoming the massive impression Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had already created among Dalit communities.

"In Telangana too we want to win the maximum of the 31 seats," he said.

Former Union Minister and ST Cell Chairman, Kishore Chandra Deo said that SC and ST leaders can also concentrate on general seats and if they are good enough he would ensure that they get the nomination in the elections.

Mr. Deo ridiculed the BJP for using the infrastructure created by the Congress and still questioning on Congress’s achievements in the last 60 years. They project India as the fastest growing economy and still criticize Congress without giving credit to it.

TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said both the BJP at the center and the TRS in the state were deceiving Dalits. “They nominate a Dalit as President but keep mum on the growing violence on them,” he said. He criticized KCR charging him with forgetting the promise of three acres to Dalit families and pointing out that the 12% reservation proposed for STs will only be caught in the legal wrangles due to the insincerity of the Government.