TDP committed to SC/ST welfare: Naidu

Hyderabad, Aug 21 (UNI) Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N Chandrababu Naidu today reiterated his party's commitment to the uplift of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Addressing the functionaries of the party's SC and ST wing here, he said the committee constituted under former Finance Minister Y Ramakrishnudu would study in detail the various demands of the SCs and STs. It would also work out the financial implications of the promises made by him to the weaker sections during the ''Meekosam yatra'' including soft loans and construction of houses, for its inclusion in the party's election manifesto, he added.

Accusing the ruling Congress of using the SCs and STs as ''mere vote bank'', he claimed that it was only during the previous TDP regime justice was rendered to the vulnerable sections of population.

When the party founder N T Rama Rao was National Front Chairman Bharat Ratna was posthumously conferred on Constitution architect B R Ambedkar, he said and added the TDP had supported the candidature of Mr K R Narayanan for the President's post and ensured the election of Mr G M C Balayogi as the Lok Sabha Speaker and Ms Pratibha Bharati as the state Assembly Speaker.

The Party had also constituted the Punnaiah Commission to end atrocities on Dalits, he added.

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