Leaders cutting across the party lines attributed the success of the Telangana movement to the architect of Indian Constitution, B.R. Ambedkar, and pointed out that the inclusion of Article 3 in the Constitution had facilitated the formation of smaller states.
Representatives of various political parties and organisations made a beeline to the statue of Dr.Ambedkar near Tank Bund on Tuesday, on the leader’s 124{+t}{+h}birth anniversary.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his Cabinet colleagues Nayani Narasimha Reddy, Mohammed Ali and Talasani Srinivas Yadav and MLA Rasamayi Balakishan, garlanded the statue and paid tributes.
At a meeting organised on the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari said three lakh landless Dalit families were identified and that the Government would purchase one lakh acres at the cost of Rs. 10,000 crore for distribution among them.
All welfare schemes would be implemented by the next birth anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar, he promised.
Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy said Telangana would not have been a separate State had there not been Ambedkar.
From Congress, PCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, working president Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and CLP leader K. Jana Reddy, among others, paid their tributes, while the Telugu Desam party was represented by TDLP leader Errabelli Dayakar Rao, State unit president L. Ramana, and MLA Motkupalli Narsimhulu.
CPI national executive member K. Narayana and State secretary Chada Venkat Reddy also paid their tributes. BJP floor leader K. Laxman demanded that funds be allocated based on population ratio of SCs and STs. Dalit leader and Mahajan Socialist Party chief Manda Krishna Madiga lashed out at Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for reneging on his oft-repeated promise of making a dalit person as Chief Minister of Telangana.
At the Gandhi Bhavan, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee has decided to hold year-long celebrations to commemorate the birth anniversary.
At the BJP office, the celebrations were attended by Union Minister for Urban Development M. Venkaiah Naidu and Mr. Dattatreya, among others.
