Former Minister Mudragada Padmanabham, who has been spearheading the agitation for reservation to the Kapu community, has upped the ante by meeting former Union Minister K. Chiranjeevi and Dasari Narayana Rao and PCC president N. Raghuveera Reddy in Hyderabad on Saturday.
Accompanied by a small group of his followers, he called on them and sought their support “if Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu fails to keep his word of extending reservation to Kapus”. Speaking to the media after meeting Mr. Chiranjeevi, the Kapu Reservation Struggle leader said he had come to thank the Congress leaders for extending support to his indefinite fast and also for supporting the Kapu reservation movement.
“Mr. Chiranjeevi came to meet me while I was on hunger strike, but the police sent him back from the Rajahmundry airport. Today I came to thank him for that. I also asked him for support to the struggle if the Chief Minister fails to keep his word,” Mr Padmanadham said.
Mr. Chiranjeevi said Mr. Padmanabham had the full support of the Congress party. The Telugu Desam Government asked time till August and Mr. Padmanabham had consented to the condition.
“We discussed the course that needs to be taken if the State government fails to keep its word,” he said.
Mr. Narayana Rao said Mr. Padmanabham’s motives behind the agitation could not be questioned. His integrity as a leader was known to all. The former Minister, who is also a Kapu, said the Kapus were asking for special reservation without depriving others of their rightful share.
Before visiting the former Union Ministers, Mr. Padmanabham visited the PCC president at his home. Mr. Raghuveera Reddy in a statement said Mr. Padmanabham had met him at his home to thank the Congress party for the full support it extended to the Kapu reservation movement.
Mr. Raghuveera Reddy said AICC president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi had already taken a decision on the issue. The PCC chief said he was appealing to the Kapus and BCs not to become victims of the Chief Minister’s “conspiracies”.
The Telugu Desam had promised in the election manifesto that it would give Backward Class status to Kapus, Telagas, Ontaris and Balijas, but was not trying to implement the promise in a harmonious way after coming to power, Mr. Raghuveera Reddy said.
