With an eye on the Dalit votes ahead of the Punjab assembly polls the Congress party is in no mood to leave any stone unturned to win over them.
In its latest attempt to reach out to Dalits the Congress has announced that it would give 33 per cent of chairmanships of the state run corporations and boards to Dalits once the party is elected to power.
“Congress alone has watched and safeguarded the interests of the Dalits and we assure that 33 per cent chairmanships will be provided to the Dalits,” said Punjab Congress President Capt Amarinder Singh, adding that all communities will get due representation in ticket distribution.
In a recently held ‘Dalit Outreach’ programme organised by the Scheduled Caste Cell of the party in Chandigarh, the Congress leaders alleged that the ruling Akali-BJP government has discriminated and victimised the Dalits and during his meetings with workers he had found that they were not even being provided the blue cards under the Food Security Act.
In Punjab, where Dalits account for 31.94 per cent of the population, the highest percentage among States, the party is working to attract all Dalit communities to strengthen its prospects of winning the 2017 Assembly elections.
Capt. Amarinder has promised that the Congress government will increase the Shagun scheme to Rupees 51,000 and Dalit households will be provided 300 units of power free.
Aware of the fact that Dalits votes are critical in the upcoming Assembly polls the Congress party workers and leaders have already started reaching out to the Dalits in all constituencies, asking them of their problems and expectations.
Earlier this year in February, the Congress party held a seminar in Ludhiana on issues facing the Dalits, to convey the message of party's seriousness towards Dalits.
Through its Dalit contact programme Congress aims to identify their problems and solutions and to be later incorporated into the election manifesto.
