Even as the lockup death of Dalit woman Mariamma rocks the State, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is conducting the first all-party meet in seven years to discuss a new scheme for ‘Dalit Empowerment’ on Sunday.
The all-party meet will discuss and prepare guidelines for the scheme. Dalit legislators, Members of Parliament and representatives from different political parties would discuss and prepare guidelines for the new scheme.
Chandrashekar Rao, who has kept the Opposition leaders at an arm’s length for the last seven years after he became the Chief Minister in 2014, called up leaders of a few Opposition parties to invite them for the meeting.
Interestingly, his former Cabinet colleague Eatala Rajender, who recently quit the TRS to join the BJP, had alleged that the Chief Minister had never given appointments to the legislators belonging to the Opposition to meet him and lend an ear to them.
Inquiry ordered
With Mariamma’s death and torture of her son Uday Kiran taking a political turn, the Chief Minister directed State Director General of Police Mahender Reddy on Friday to conduct an inquiry into the lockup death and take action against the cops responsible for the torture and death of the woman.
He said Uday Kiran would get a government job, a house and an ex-gratia of ₹15 lakhs. Mariamma’s two daughters would get ₹10 lakh each.
Earlier in the day, senior Congress leaders Bhatti Vikramarka, Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy and D Sridhar Babu met the Chief Minister at the Camp Office, seeking action against the cops responsible for Mariamma’s death.
Congress protest meet
Meanwhile, the Congress organised a Dalit Avedana Deeksha at the Pradesh Congress Committee office here on Saturday. PCC President Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that the TRS Government ditched the Dalits in the State.