A few months back, the Congress party in Telangana made tall claims that it would give at least 34 tickets to the Backward Classes (BC) for the Telangana assembly elections. But, the reality is in stark contrast to their claims.
The party could hardly accommodate 20 BC candidates and the majority of these seats fall in the old city area and the GHMC limits where the party’s electoral prospects seem bleak. Though the party promised two tickets to BCs from every parliament segment, it failed to fulfill the promise. The party snubbed BC candidates, who were frontrunners for the tickets, in some segments like Malkajgiri, Banswada and Jangaon.
On the other hand, the BRS Party has allocated more tickets to the BCs when compared to the Congress. In the last nine and half years, BRS has also given preference to the BCs in allocating Rajya Sabha MP seats, MLCs, corporation chairman posts, and various other nominated positions.
The BRS government has earmarked funds for the welfare of the BC communities like never before. The state government has initiated several novel welfare schemes, and programs and rolled out many incentives for the upliftment of the various communities in the BCs. CM KCR has given thrust to traditional occupations by introducing schemes such as BC Bandhu, sheep distribution, fish seedling distribution, Nethannaku Cheyutha, Nethanna Bima, Chenetha Mithra, free electricity to saloons, modern dhobi ghats, support to toddy tappers, etc.
The government constructed 275 new BC residential schools, 142 BC junior colleges, and 6 BC degree colleges to empower the students from the backward classes with quality education. To aid the marginalized students aspiring for government jobs, the KCR-led government has opened many BC study circles, and it also extended pre-matric, post-matric, and overseas scholarships to BC students to realize their dreams.
In addition, the BRS government has embarked on a mission to provide self-esteem to various sections in the BCs by constructing ‘Atma Gourava Bhavans’. The government has allocated land for the construction of 41 such bhavans.
While the Congress party has seen the Backward Classes as mere vote banks, the BRS has committed itself to the overall development of the BCs. Be it political participation or schemes or programs, CM KCR took complete care of the community.