The Telangana Rashtra Samithi government headed by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, which was forced to stall the implementation of Dalit Bandhu scheme in Huzurabad assembly constituency following the order from Election Commission due to model code of conduct, is now under pressure to resume it from Thursday.
KCR sought to turn the EC order to the advantage of the TRS in the Huzurabad by-poll, blaming it on the BJP for writing a letter to the EC to stall the Dalit Bandhu scheme fearing that it would lose the polls if the scheme is implemented.
“They have done it for now. Can they stop the implementation of Dalit Bandhu after November 4? Come what may, we shall implement the scheme in Huzurabad and later in all parts of the state in a phased manner,” the chief minister said at the party’s plenary held on October 25.
But unfortunately for the TRS, the Dalit Bandhu scheme launch failed to fetch any electoral benefits to the party.
Even at Salapalli village where KCR launched the scheme, BJP candidate Eatala Rajender got more votes than the TRS candidate Gellu Srinivasa Yadav.
The people have apparently not fallen to the scheme, as they thought it was an election gimmick. Moreover, those who got the money deposited in their accounts could not draw it as the authorities froze the same stating that the guidelines of the scheme are yet to be prepared.
Now that the TRS lost the Huzurabad by-poll, it has cast the shadow on the implementation of Dalit Bandhu scheme from Thursday. Though the government might not withdraw the scheme, it would take its own sweet time to implement it.
But the BJP leaders have already started bringing pressure on KCR.
“Under any circumstances, the TRS government should resume the scheme from November 4, as promised by the chief minister. Till now, the government blamed it on the EC. Now, there is no code. It has to fulfil its promise,” BJP state president Bandi Sanjay said.