K Venkateshwarlu
Hyderabad
Going by public statements of prominent leaders in the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee, it appears that the Congress state unit could make a Dalit or tribal the chief minister should the party come to power in Telangana. Top Congress leaders and TPCC star campaigner and TPCC president A Revanth Reddy have stated this publicly.
Komatireddy Venkat Reddy demanded on April 16 that the Congress should make a Dalit as the Chief Minister of the state during the padayatra of CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who is a Dalit.
Venkat Reddy also demanded the high command on April 14th at Mancherial Satyagraha Deeksha that it must make a Dalit as CM should the Congress come to power in Telangana. He also stated that he would mention it to AICC president MallikarjunaKharge, who is also a Dalit. Venkat Reddy sought to know from Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao what he had done to Dalits as CM. “Does installing statues of Dalits mean standing by them?” he asked. The Congress had given a chance to a Dalit to become its president. He said that justice would be done to Dalits if the party was voted to power.
On April 19th, Bhatti Vikramarka stated that he would be in the CM race if people blessed him. “What is wrong with it? I will bring ‘IndirammaRajyam’ if I become the Chief Minister of the State. However, the party would take a decision on the CM candidate only after elections”, he said.
Revanth Reddy too made such comments in America on Monday when Dalit and Tribal NRIs met him and appealed to him to give Deputy Chief Minister position to Dalits and Tribals after coming to power. While responding to their plea, Revanth Reddy said that the Congress party would give priority to Dalits and tribals. “We will make Seethakka as the Chief Minister if the need arises. The Congress party made a Dalit MallikarjunaKharge as the president of the AICC.
Anybody can become Chief Minister in the Congress party. The working leaders would get due respect and there is no need for doing lobbying”, he said.
However, one of the Telangana Congress leaders, speaking anonymously, pointed out that the high command might be having the idea of making Dalit or tribal as CM of Telangana “to teach a lesson to CM KCR”, who had deceived Dalits after having assured them that the first CM of Telangana should be a Dalit. “Otherwise, why do the top leaders like Revanth Reddy and Venkat Reddy say like that”, he questioned,adding that only the Congress would do such things.
