'Want to be slaves or rulers?' Ex-IPS officer Praveen Kumar as he joins BSP
"This day is unforgettable for me and you all," said RS Praveen Kumar to a crowd of two lakh people that had gathered in Nalgonda to witness the former IPS officer embark on his political journey. "No force will stop Bahujan Rajyam in this state,” Praveen told the crowd, setting the tone for Bahujan politics in Telangana.
Praveen is known for the work he did as Secretary of the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS), and on Sunday, he joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) at the 'Bahujana Rajyadikara Sankalpa Sabha,' in the presence of its national coordinator and leaders.
Praveen, a 1995-batch IPS officer, took voluntary retirement after 26 years of service from the rank of Additional Director General of Police (Addl DGP). The high voltage meeting, which saw charged political sloganeering throughout, became a venue for his debut political speech. RS Praveen left no stone unturned in attacking Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) and the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). Taking potshots at the TRS and other parties, Praveen said that "dominant caste political parties" have cheated the Bahujans for 70 years.
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He said that the cause of a separate Telangana, which was achieved after over 1,300 people lost their lives, was being ruined, and asserted that the wealth in the country is centralised in the hands of a few dominant castes. Praveen thanked the participants for coming voluntarily without the influence of money, alcohol or biryanis, and said, "My heartfelt thanks for making Nalgonda a Neeligonda (blue hill). This day is unforgettable for me and you all."
Calling the meeting a Bahujan storm, Praveen said that seeing the enthusiasm of the people who had gathered, Pragathi Bhavan (the CM's official residence) was not far away, suggesting that the BSP could grab political power in Telangana. He said that several thousand people were joining the cause.
Praveen, who accused the ruling TRS and authorities of creating hurdles for the meeting, said that no one can stop him as he is the son of agricultural workers, auto drivers, sanitation workers, artisan communities, and tribal people. He said that there was a larger conspiracy against him, by foisting cases against him to put him in jail for working towards the delivery of better education to children of weaker sections of society.
Taking on the recent Dalita Bandhu scheme announced by the KCR government, in which Rs 10 lakh will be given to each family with an estimated package of Rs 1000 crore, he said, "The schemes are our constitutional right, not your charity. The Rs 1000 crore belongs to the weaker sections who tilled the lands. If you have any love towards us, spend your own money on us." He further added that the scheme was an "aimless flow of money" without any foresight.
He said "Realisation of ‘Bahujan Rajyam’ in Telangana is not an easy task, but it can happen if all of you think so and are committed to it. There is a danger of getting cheated by dominant caste parties, who make false promises and take our word to vote for them."
Praveen urged the cadres and attendees to go and enlighten Bahujans across villages like the late political leader Kanshiram did. He expressed that the historical Nalgonda meeting would change the political scenario of the country, and not just Telangana. "Do you want to be slaves or rulers?" he asked the massive gathering, to which attendees said that they want to be rulers, amid massive cheering.
While announcing his political agenda and plans for the future, Praveen said that the upcoming Bahujana Rajyam will have equal representation of all communities, based on the proportion of their population. According to him, education, health, and employment would be the primary agenda. He said each mandal would have an international school and children would be trained to compete in the Olympics. Reservations in the private sector are also a concern, to ensure that Bahujan communities are part of the largest employment section, he said, putting forth several plans.
Ramji Gautam, BSP's National Coordinator, said that no one can stop Bahujana Rajyam in Telangana with RS Praveen joining the party. Praveen Kumar was also appointed as the Telangana State Coordinator of the BSP in the meeting. The meeting, which also saw performances by Bahujan artists, after a massive rally from the outskirts of Nalgonda town, ended on a peaceful note. Several regional news channels were accused of not telecasting the program live despite a massive presence of people in the meeting.