“Let us stop trains and hold up traffic on the roads to mount pressure on the government to get our genuine demand conceded. We, the Kapus, have every right to demand inclusion of our caste in the BC list. The Telugu Desam made a clear promise to us and included the same in its election manifesto,” said former Minister Mudragada Padmanabham before getting down from the ‘Kapu Aikya Garjana’ public meeting dais and sitting on the nearby railway track. Thousands of people, who thronged the meeting from different parts of the State, joined him by moving towards the railway track and the national highway.
Mr. Padmanabham spoke at length in the much-publicised meeting that was aimed at uniting the Kapus for launching of a movement to achieve their demand.
At the meeting held at V. Kotthuru village, Mr. Padmanabham recalled that people belonging to Kapu, Telaga and Balija castes enjoyed BC status during the British rule. “We have genuine share in the reservations. These reservations are the need of the hour for the youngsters and for future generations. In the absence of reservations, we can’t get government jobs,” he said, adding that the Kapu caste was economically backward in many parts of the State. “This is not a new movement. I am fighting for this cause for the last two-and-a-half decades. Though Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy government issued orders including Kapus in the BCs list way back in 1993, it was not implemented due to his defeat in the subsequent elections,” Mr. Padmanabham said.
Dig at TDP
Lambasting the TDP for allegedly deceiving Kapus in the name of appointment of a commission and formation of a corporation, Mr. Padmanabham wondered why Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had asked his party men to challenge the orders issued by Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy government in the High Court. “Instead of understanding the ground realities, the government is trying to deceive us. It is interesting to note that many BC castes extended solidarity with our movement as they understand the genuineness of our demand,” he said.
Mr. Padmanabham reminded the public of his resignation to the Cabinet post to launch a movement for achieving the BC status to Kapus. Before concluding his speech, he called upon the Kapus not to stop the movement till achieving the BC status. Mr. Padmanabham accused the police of provoking the agitators. He said that the agitators had no intention to foment any trouble, it was the police lathi-charge that forced the crowds to resort to stone-throwing and torching of train coaches.
