Congress to organise BCs conference in March

Hyderabad, Jan 24 (UNI) The ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh will organise a massive Backward Classes conference here in March to counter the TDP's ''disinformation campaign'' and highlight the developmental programmes and welfare schemes launched by the Congress Government for them.

Informing this to reporters here today, party BC Cell Chairman P Chitaranjan said the Cell State Executive would meet on January 28 to finalise the date for the conference to be attended by, among others, Congress Working Committee member and Andhra Pradesh affairs incharge Veerappa Moily.

Over 70 per cent of the beneficiaries of the weaker section housing programme to build 70 lakh houses belonged to the BCs, he said, adding that Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy had promised to step up budgetary allocation to Rs 500 crore for BCs during the next fiscal year.

Challenging the opposition TDP to come for a public debate on the issue, he said it was the previous TDP Government which was responsible for a large number of handloom weavers starving to death, unable to eke out a living.

People would not believe the TDP, which withdrew the Rs two-a-kg-rice scheme and diluted total prohibition contrary to its poll promises, he contended.

Denying the charge that the Congress Government was suppressing the BCs in politics, he said 14 state ministers were from the BC community.

On the other hand, it was TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu, who had not allowed BC leader K Yerran Naidu to become Lok Sabha Speaker soon after the demise of then Speaker G M C Balayogi, he alleged.

UNI SM VA MSJ AS1747