Cong to take up Valmikis' issues
Chandigarh, June 2
Former chief minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda today said the Congress would soon organise a Valmiki Sammelan in Haryana to address the issues of the community and give it representation.
Hooda was speaking at a meeting with the representatives of the Valmiki Samaj.
Representatives of Valmiki Sabhas from all districts of the state were present.
Hooda said the Valmiki community had always been the backbone of the Congress. “The Congress and Scheduled Castes members of society complement each other. Parties like the BJP can never be well-wishers of the deprived class,” he claimed.
He stated that he belonged to a family that fought against untouchability and caste discrimination. “My grandfather and father continuously agitated to remove caste discrimination from society. My father Chaudhary Ranbir Singh Hooda got an opportunity to work in the Constituent Assembly with Ambedkar. The uplift of the downtrodden is a priority for me in terms of personal and party policies,” he said.
“The Congress believes that only a society that remains at the forefront in the field of education makes progress. Government schools were opened in every village and locality by the Congress government in Haryana to educate the children of SCs, Backward Classes and the poor, including the Valmikis. A scholarship scheme was started for 20 lakh children from classes 1 to 12,” he said.
“Similarly, about 4 lakh families benefited under the scheme of 100-yard free plots for the poor. As many as 11,000 sanitation workers were recruited directly. When the Congress government is formed, all welfare schemes will be restarted and the backlog of jobs will be filled,” he promised.
Meanwhile, Congress state president Udai Bhan, who was also present at the meeting, said in a state-level programme organised on the birth anniversary of Ambedkar in Sonepat, the Congress had spoken about its plans and policies to give representation to the community. In the coming days, the party would present a detailed roadmap for the progress of the deprived sections, he added.
