Denied ticket, Dalit MLA in Telangana charges YSRC with unfair treatment
The comments of the legislator of the erstwhile undivided Chittoor district has created a flutter in the ruling YSRC.
TIRUPATI: The YSRC leadership is facing dissidence from the party legislators about its decision on the allotment of seats for the ensuing Assembly elections. In a rebellion against YSRC chief and Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Puthalapattu MLA MS Babu on Tuesday openly criticised the party’s decision to deny him a ticket. Expressing disappointment over the party’s selection of candidates, Babu alleged that preferential treatment was being given to upper-caste MLAs over Dalit leaders like himself.
Expressing his grouse, Babu said, “Jagan has not even spoken to me directly in the last five years. It is unjust on the part of the YSRC leadership towards a Dalit MLA, who has been loyal to the party. What are the criteria for the selection of candidates? he asked, claiming that Dalit MLAs are being specifically targeted for rejection even when there is no anti-incumbency against them.
“I have followed all the instructions of the YSRC leadership during my tenure,” he asserted, lamenting over the decision taken without his knowledge. Babu charged the YSRC leadership and its I-PAC team with unfair treatment in survey ratings, which he alleged could be manipulated. The comments of the legislator of the erstwhile undivided Chittoor district have created a flutter in the ruling YSRC.
Political observers are of the view that the resentment among Dalit leaders against the ‘preferential’ treatment of upper caste legislators may harm the YSRC’s prospects in the next elections, especially in reserved constituencies.
Courtesy : TNIE
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