The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Monday announced a statewide protest today at constituency and mandal centres across Hyderabad’s Telangana , opposing what it describes as the Congress government’s alleged attempt to discontinue the Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak schemes.
Addressing a teleconference with party leaders, MLAs, MLCs, former public representatives and state general body members, KTR said the schemes were introduced by former Chief Minister K. As part of today’s statewide protest, BRS leaders and cadres will hold demonstrations at constituency and mandal centres across Telangana. KTR alleged that the Congress government was using the High Court verdict as a pretext to discontinue Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak. KTR also accused the Congress of attempting to escape questions over its election promise to provide one tola of gold along with Kalyana Lakshmi assistance. The party has also called upon its workers to take the issue to every village and ward and question Congress leaders over the implementation of their election promises.
Chandrashekar Rao on October 2, 2014, to reduce the financial burden on poor families arranging marriages for their daughters. The financial assistance, which began at ₹ 51,000, was subsequently increased to ₹ 75,116 and later to ₹ 1,00,116. Nearly 13 lakh families received financial assistance totalling around ₹ 13,000 crore during the BRS government’s tenure, according to KTR.
BRS Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR) has called upon party leaders, elected representatives and cadres to participate in the protests and raise their voice against any move to withdraw the schemes, which he said have provided financial support and dignity to lakhs of poor families. He said the schemes were not merely welfare programmes but were closely linked to the dignity and financial security of daughters from poor families. He questioned why the government did not mount a strong legal defence of a scheme benefiting poor families, while, according to him, it was willing to spend substantial amounts on private lawyers in cases involving the Chief Minister and ministers. Instead of strengthening the scheme and fulfilling its promise, the Congress government was allegedly trying to discontinue it, he said.
KTR questioned the Congress government’s handling of the matter before the High Court and asked why it allegedly failed to file a counter despite being given four opportunities.
