Suryapet: Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a public meeting ahead of Telangana Assembly elections, in Suryapet district, Friday, Oct. 27, 2023.
Credit: PTI Photo
Hyderabad: In a major announcement, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that a leader from the Backward Classes will be made Chief Minister of Telangana if BJP is voted to power. Polling to the 119 seats of Telangana assembly will be held on November 30.
With this announcement, Shah had poured cold water on the aspirations of union minister and BJP state president G Kishan Reddy to become the Chief Minister in case BJP comes to power in Telangana.
Addressing Jana Garjana Sabha in Suryapet, Amit Shah lambasted both BRS and Congress.
“If BJP forms the government in Telangana we have decided a BC leader will be made chief minister of the state. It’s only the BJP which is committed to the welfare of BCs,” said Amit Shah.
The union home minister’s announcement comes at a time when the BJP has been aggressively making efforts for a ‘OBC push’ amidst Congress's demand for a nationwide OBC caste census. In the first list of the BJP for Telangana polls that was released a few days ago, majority of the seats went to leaders from the backward classes.
With more than 50 per cent of the total population, the Backward Classes hold the key in Telangana polls. All the political parties have been drawing up their plans to get the BC vote.
According to some estimates 130 different groups of Backward Classes constitute around 52percent of the total population of Telangana. Of these Golla Kurumas, Mudirajs, Gouds, and Pamdashalis having an approximate 30 lakh, 29 lakh, 20 lakh , 14 lakh respectively are the major groups among the Backward Classes.
Amit Shah also said that neither BRS nor Congress can work for the welfare of Telangana.
“Only the BJP, under the leadership of PM Modi, can make it a developed state. KCR wants to make KTR Chief Minister and Sonia wants to make Rahul Gandhi Prime Minister. Both parties, Congress and BRS, are dynastic parties, and therefore they can never work for the welfare of Telangana,” he said.
Referring to the BRS and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, the Union Minister has asked what happened to the promises made by him since 2014.
“Chandrasekhar Rao You had promised to make a dalit as Chief Minister. What happened to that? What happened to the promise of three acres of land to dalits? Where is the Rs. 50,000 crore allocation for dalits in the budget? Why has the government failed to allocate Rs. 10,000 for BCs?” asked Amit Shah adding that Prime Minister Modi has appointed BC Commission, sanctioned Sammakka- Sarakka tribal university for Telangana, a long pending turmeric board.
“We are supplying potable water under the Jal Jeevan Mission, constructed toilets in the houses of the poor and extended free rice for 1.9 crore families,” said the Home Minister while explaining the measures taken up by the BJP government at the Centre.
He also said that the BRS is anti-poor, anti-Dalit and anti-OBC. “The goal of the BJP is the welfare of the poor. On the other hand, the goal of the KCR's party and Congress is the welfare of their family. I would like to appeal to the people of Telangana that these parties can't develop Telangana. Only BJP can work for the stat,” he added.