Harish accuses Congress govt of betraying tribals

Hyderabad: Senior BRS leader T Harish Rao accused the Congress govt of betraying tribal communities, failing farmers, misleading people on jobs, and neglecting the welfare of SCs and STs. He said chief minister A Revanth Reddy was speaking about governance and welfare in election campaigns in other states, while in his own constituency of Kodangal, STs continue to face injustice, land-related harassment, and official neglect.Addressing a press conference in Kodangal on Friday, he said the Congress govt had completely failed to honour the promises it made to SC and ST communities. He added that while the govt allocated Rs 2,730 crore in the budget for the ST corporation, it spent only Rs 52 crore, exposing what he described as the hollowness of its commitment."In the last two and a half years, not a single meaningful rupee of support has reached ST beneficiaries. Students are not receiving fee reimbursement. The govt seems to have funds for football events, camp offices, and beauty pageants, but not for ST students, ST welfare, or tribal development," he said.Harish accused Revanth of seeking votes of SC and ST communities during elections, only to turn against them after coming to power. He alleged that tribal lands are being taken away in Kodangal and that members of the ST community are being subjected to harassment and police excesses.The former minister also questioned Revanth Reddy's public claims in other states, especially in Kerala, where the chief minister has reportedly been speaking about the implementation of welfare guarantees in Telangana. He took a swipe at Revanth Reddy's campaign politics outside Telangana, saying that people in other states, including Kerala, are capable of seeing through exaggerated claims, especially when the ground reality in Telangana.