KCR announces Girijanabandhu, 10 pc quota for tribes; dares Modi to implement

HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) on Saturday announced a 10 percent reservation for the Scheduled Tribes in the state. He also announced his decision to start a 'Girijana Bandhu' scheme on the lines of Dalit Bandhu, to bestow land to the landless tribals in the state. The Telangana Chief Minister said that a Government Order on the 10 percent tribal reservations would be issued in a week's time. He also threw a gauntlet at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him to implement the same at the Centre. KCR appealed to Modi to clear the reservation bill. He also asked the Prime Minister if he would prefer implementing the reservations for the STs or would turn the issue as a noose around his neck.

KCR was addressing a huge gathering at the girijana, banjara aatmeeya sabha (meeting of tribals and banjaras) organised at the NTR Grounds opposite Indira Park here. The Chief Minister also announced that a land distribution scheme in the name of 'Girijana Bandhu' on the lines of Dalit Bandhu would also be implemented very soon in the state. He said that his government would collect the data of available lands in the state and based on the report, all the landless tribals would be given lands as part of their measures to ensure all-round development and upliftment.

KCR also promised to further increase the number of government tribal welfare residential schools and expressed his desire to see the community evolve even more and flourish in life. Giving a detailed account of the welfare regime in Telangana, with specific reference to the schemes meant for the tribals, he asked the Modi-Shah combine if they were able to see the growth and prosperity in Telangana.

"They have no interest in the welfare of the people. They come here only to play cheap, communal politics to foment hatred and divide the society. While neglecting the basic needs of the people, the Modi government is looting them and fleecing them only to benefit corporate entities close to it with lakhs of crores of rupees," KCR alleged.

He reiterated his advice to the intellectuals, the educated and socially-conscious people to create the awareness among the masses on the need to remain vigilant and thoughtful. "We need to safeguard our Telangana, which we achieved after a lot of hardships, from the threat of communal hatred and unwarranted divide in the name of religion. Don't fall in the trap of people with vested political interests who are out there to create communal unrest in the state," he claimed.

The Telangana Chief Minister also harped on his government objective of 'creating wealth and distributing it among all the sections of the society'. "The TRS government believes in all-inclusive growth with utmost respect towards every community and section of the society. With the same zest and spirit, we have recently decided to christen the state's new secretariat building after Dr BR Ambedkar, the father of the Indian Constitution. We should celebrate all festivals and fairs with joy and equanimity. Everyone in this state should lead a life of contentment," he said amid thunderous applause from the gathering.

Later, the Chief Minister felicitated eminent personalities from the community.