Focus on welfare of Dalits and tribals: Sonia to Thackeray
Fri, Dec 18 2020 11:00:15 PM
Mumbai, Dec 18 (IANS): Congress President Sonia Gandhi has written a letter to ally and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asking him to implement the Common Minimum Programme in the state in letter and spirit, especially pertaining to the welfare of the Dalits and tribals.
Referring to suggestions she had received, Gandhi said that the budget allocation for the development of SC/ST communities should be in proportion to their share in the population with focus on schemes that would help bring them on par with the rest of society at the earliest.
Cong’s newfound assertiveness
Often regarded as a third wheel in the Maharashtra alliance, Congress is now looking to assert itself more aggressively in the government s functioning and policy making. While the SC/ST communities in Maharashtra have traditionally been a loyal support base of the Congress, some party leaders from the community have complained that the NCP, which heads the social welfare department, was running away with the credit for various social welfare initiatives.
Apart from reservations for the SC/ST entrepreneurs, Gandhi has also demanded that “the budget allocation for the SC/ST communities should be proportionate to their share in the population”.
Congress asserts itself in Maharashtra govt as Sonia Gandhi reminds Uddhav Thackeray of commitments
Congress asserts itself in Maharashtra govt as Sonia Gandhi reminds Uddhav Thackeray of commitments
In her letter to Uddhav Thackeray, Sonia Gandhi said the govt must implement the Common Minimum Programme in letter and spirit and fulfill the commitments made to Dalits and Adivasis.
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Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi. (Photo: PTI file)
Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi has written a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in which she has reminded him of the commitments made to the Dalits and Adivasis in the Common Minimum Programme of the Maha Vikas Agadi government in Maharashtra.