Leaders of twenty five backward castes, who met at Vijayawada on Wednesday, warned the Telugu Desam government that they would not hesitate to topple the TDP government if Kapus were included in the BC list.
The castes which met under the banner of BC Mahajana Samiti found fault with the government in appointing a commission to study the purported backwardness of Kapus. They said it was not within the powers of state government and the state government was not supposed to appoint a commission to see if a particular caste was eligible to be included in the BC list just because the caste leaders demanded.
“Reservation is not an economic program to help poor in the society. This was social reform movement for the upliftment of the castes which suffered discrimination for ages in low social status,” the leaders said.
Admitting that poor did exist in every caste, the leaders said, the government should initiate poverty alleviation measure for their benefit. They also said they would welcome such programs for the poor among the Kapus.
” If Kapus are included in BCs it would defeat the very purpose of the setting up of the BC category. Kapus are economically well advanced. Their presence is felt ever where in politics, cinema industry etc. We oppose their inclusion,” Guduri Venktateswara Rao leader of BC Prajawelfare Association said at the conference.
The Kapu Garjan had created a feeling of insecurity among the BC communities, which were already suffering from vast inequalities, they said.
” If the government categorizes Kapu as BC, we would have no option but to wage battle against the decision and the government,” they warted. The meeting adopted a resolution opposing all attempts by the government to include the Kapu in the list of BC communities.
The leaders decided to launch a campaign across the state to educate the members of BCs on the impending threat to their privileges from the TDP government and Kapu movement.
” We wanted to wait till the submission of the report by the Manjunatha commission. However, having seen the Kapu Ikhya Garjana and the burning of the train by the miscreants, we feel compelled to launch reservation protection movement in the state against the government, immediately,” the said.