Dalit Bandhu: PILs filed in Telangana HC against TRS government
Move to implement the scheme and distribute cash only in Huzurabad challenged
Hyderabad: A set of public interest litigations (PILs) has been filed in the Telangana High court, saying the TRS government is motivately distributing public money under the Dalita Bandhu scheme only in poll-bound Huzurabad constituency to gain votes for the ruling party in the coming bypolls.
Social activist Akkala Suresh Kumar, the Telangana Republic Party, the Janavahini Party and others have alleged in their PILs that this was aimed at wooing a section of the voters to ensure victory for the TRS in the coming bypoll. They wanted the scheme to be rolled out through the state.
The petitioners said, "The Scheduled Caste (Dalit) people remain poor in every part of the state and they were all eligible to get the benefit of the scheme, not just the Dalits in one constituency.”
They requested the court to direct the Election Commission and the Chief Electoral Officer of Telangana state to take action against government under Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 123 of the Representation of People’s Act. The scheme could be seen as an attempt by the TRS and its government to influence the voters in the upcoming polls, they said.