Bandaru Dattatreya fires on Telangana Congress leaders

Hyderabad June 25: Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya has been fired on the Congress is politicizing the issue of President's election and sought to know why the party has not made Babu Jagjivan Ram the Prime Minister or his daughter Meira Kumar the President when it had numbers in its favor in the past.

Reacting to the criticism over the candidature of Ramnath Kovind by the State Congress leaders, Mr. Dattatreya said here on Saturday that the NDA-led by BJP had decided upon his candidature only after taking the opinion of the Congress and other parties that a Dalit candidate would be fielded.

Dattatreya said in a statement that "What's the rationale behind fielding another Dalit candidate, Meira Kumar, after the NDA has identified the most suitable nominee. It will serve no purpose except making Ms. Kumar a scapegoat since she is not a position to win the election."

He questioned the propriety of State Congress leaders, S. Jaipal Reddy, N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and others in making an appeal to the electors for the President’s poll in Telangana that they should vote for Ms. Kumar since under her stewardship as the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Telangana Bill was passed.

Mr. Dattatreya alleged that the Congress thinks about Dalits only during elections as it always treats them as the vote bank.