In a veiled criticism of YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s stance on the reservation issue, Kapu leader Mudragada Padmanabham has asked members of the community to not approach anybody with a begging bowl.
In an open letter to the Kapus on Wednesday, Mr. Padmanabham said he had come to know through the media that a leader (Mr. Reddy) touring the district was reluctant to give any concrete assurance on the Kapu reservation issue when the youth from the community tried to take up the cause with him.
Terming the stance as “highly deplorable,” Mr. Padmanabham alleged that the youth were even beaten up by the leader’s security personnel.
“While the party in power treats the Kapus with lathis, the other one attacks them with security personnel. When political parties treat us as untouchables, why should they come to us and beg votes?” he questioned.
The party that would form the government next should respect the sentiments of the Kapus and fulfil the promise made to them earlier, he asserted.
‘It is no charity’
Asking members of the community to not beg anyone, Mr. Padmanabham said he was finding new ways to achieve reservation.
“Kapu reservation is not a charity,” he said, and added that former Chief Minister Damodaram Sanjeevaiah had issued a G.O. providing reservation to the Kapus, which the successive governments had ignored.
“The community has the support of the SCs and OBCs,” Mr. Padmanabham said, and expressed the confidence that the Kapu community would achieve its goal shortly.
