Vijayawada: The Kapu
Nadu movement, spearheaded by former minister Mudragada Padmanabham for
BC status for the community with the involvement of Kapus, Balijas,
Telagas and Ontari Kapus, appears to be a divided house ahead of his
marathon Padayatra scheduled on Wednesday from Ravulapalem to Antarvedi
for a distance of 116km.
A section of Kapu leaders from Konaseema region reportedly held a parallel meeting at Rajahmundry
on Sunday adopted three resolutions such as a request to the government
to expedite the release of the KL Manjunadhan Commission’s report on BC
quota for Kapus, sanction of more funds for the Kapu Corporation and
establishment of Kapu hostels.
The meeting was held under the aegis
of the AP Kapu Sakshema Samithi under the aegis of Nalla Vishnu, member
of the Kapu JAC speared by Padmanabham. According to sources, it was
decided to hold another round of meeting in Guntur shortly.
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The parallel activity is said to be a sequel to consultations held by film director and former minister Dasari Narayana Rao
with the Kapu leaders in Rajahmundry some two months ago. The
developments appear to be an indication to the rising aspirations in a
section of Kapu leaders to build the movement with an independent
identity without political shades.
The impression that the Kapu movement
has lost its independent status as Padmanabham unwittingly began
playing into the hands of the YSRC after the Tuni’s Kapu Gharjana has
gained momentum in a section of Kapus, triggering parallel activity.
Nalla Vishnu, talking to this
correspondent urged not to view their efforts as a parallel activity
intending to differ with Mudragada’s leadership. “We got high respect
for Padmanabham. If we belittle him, it amounts to belittling Kapus as a
whole. Whatever we are doing is only supplementing his efforts to
accomplish the mission”, Vishnu said.
In the same breath, he maintained
that the Kapu Sankshema Samithi was in existence with an organisational
structure all over the State much before Padmanabham launched the quota
movement. In a related development, a section of Balijas in Rayalaseema region broke away from the fold of Mudragada Padmanabham and floated an outfit Balija United Front (BUF) in December last.
The front leaders are going round the Balija-populated areas in Rayalaseema and Nellore
districts to build an organizational structure with the involvement of
local leaders. OV Ramana, convener of the BUF said social justice will
continue to elude Balijas as long as they sail with Kapus, a predominant
caste in the coastal districts of East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna and Guntur districts.
The dwindling share of Balijas in
distribution of political power appears to be growing discontent in the
community. The community comprises 14-17 per cent in the four
Rayalaseema districts, besides Nellore and parts of Prakasam districts
after the State division. But the number of seats in Parliament and the
Assembly represented by Balijas fell to 2 from eight over a period of
three decades.
There are only two MLAs –Tirupati
and Chittoor—from the community in the whole Rayalaseema region, said a
retired professor of SV University from the community on condition of
anonymity. Driving his point home, he said Rajampet Lok Sabha
seat, once held by stalwarts from the community such as Ratnasabhapathi
and Palakondrayudu slipped into the control of the dominant Reddies
now.
Daggubati Purandhareswari, a leader
from the Kamma community was imported from the coastal Andhra region by
the BJP to contest as an MP candidate from Rajampet. How long we can
bear this injustice, Ramana asked.Read More...
