Sops to lure back voters
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A major churning has started within the Congress party after it was realised that a major chunk of Dalits, Muslims and Reddys have distanced themselves from the party and are supporting the YSR Congress led by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The state Congress leadership is more worried about the Dalits and Muslims, hitherto a solid vote bank, drifting away. This could largely damage the Congress’s prospects in the forthcoming by-polls. To woo them back to the party fold, the Congress is resorting to the time honoured practice of announcing all sorts of largesse, many of which should have been implemented long ago and as a matter of course.
Special teams have been formed to influence different caste groupings in favour of the Congress. The party believes that after the merger of the Praja Rajyam into the Congress, the Kapus are solidly behind the party. If it can win over the Dalits, Reddys, and Musl-ims, besides small caste groups under the Backw-ard Classes, it will ensure victory for the party.
A team of the party's SC leaders, including MPs J.D. Seelam and G. V. Harsha Kumar, besides minister Kondru Murali, and P. Viswaroop have outlined special measures to win back the Dalits who constitute 15 to 22 per cent of the population. The team also suggested some measures to benefit tribals and minorities.
The special measures include immediate implementation of the SC sub-plan and Tribal sub-plan, burial grounds for Dalit Christians, raise weaker sections housing limit to Rs 1 lakh, roads and drainage work in SC/ST colonies, civil contracts up to Rs 5 lakh to SC/ST/ Minority youth in all government departments, government procurements from SC/ST/Minority entrepreneurs, residential schools for SC/ST/ Minority, supply of notebook PCs to all SC/ST/Minority students (graduate and above), Ambedkar Bhavan in each mandal, repair of SC/ST hostels, re-activate direct loans through SC/ST corporations, 1000 overseas scholarships to Dalits, and intensive coverage of SC/ST households for pensions, ration cards and other flagship programmes.
Once the special measures are approved, party leaders from the SC/ ST/ Minority communities will be touring the areas that will see by-polls to conduct meetings with community leaders. Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy may announce the sops in this regard soon.
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