Eluru, Dec 1: The former chief minister and national president of the TDP, Mr Nara Chandrababu Naidu, on Thursday made it clear that the party always strives to promote the Backward Classes (BCs) in politics and the TDP is the only political outfit that wants the community to flourish.
At a meeting with the BC community leaders and others at Jangareddygudem in Eluru district as part of the ‘Idemi Kharma-Mana Rashtraniki’ (What is this ill-fate for our State), Mr Chandrababu said that post-Independence, some justice is done for the SCs and STs with the reservations provided to them. “But BCs, who are over 50 per cent of the total population, have been facing various problems. Knowing this fact, the Late NT Rama Rao, when he was the chief minister of the combined Andhra Pradesh, made them partners in the development of the State. Following this, thousands of BCs have grown as State-level leaders,” Mr Chandrababu observed.
The TDP is an organisation with eminent BC personalities like Mr Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, Mr KE Krishna Murthy, Mr Ayyannapatrudu and Mr Yerran Naidu, he said and made it clear that the party’s goal is to promote the community. “It is the TDP which increased the reservation for BCs in local bodies from 24 per cent to 34 per cent but this Chief Minister, Mr Jagan Reddy, brought the quota down, again back to 24 per cent,” Mr Chandrababu noted.
Mr Jagan Reddy, who does not want the BCs to be united, is deliberately creating rift among the community and is trying to suppress them for his personal gain, Mr Chandrababu said. Maintaining that when the TDP was in power loans were extended to BCs to promote them financially and financial assistance was extended through various corporations, he added.
Stating that Rs 36,000 cr was allocated for BCs through a sub-plan and Rs 30,000 cr was released when he was the chief minister, Mr Chandrababu Naidu asked Mr Jagan whether he is dare enough to come out with the details on how much he has spent till now for BC
welfare. “Mr Jagan has claimed that he will give reservation for BCs in nominated posts but only three members have been nominated in the 37-member TTD Trust Board,” the TDP national president pointed out. Is this 50 per cent quota for the community, he asked.
When the TDP was in power vice-chancellors from the BC community had been appointed to nine of 12 universities but now vice-chancellors for 10 universities are from Reddy community and even registrars of these universities belong to the same community, Mr Chandrababu pointed out. Mr Jagan should realise the fact that if any injustice is done for the BC community, it will not be tolerated.
“For the first time after Independence all the important posts like the Chief Minister, the Chief Secretary, the Director General of Police and other prominent posts like the advisors and State-level nominated posts, are in the hands of the same community,” he stated. Mr Jagan began shivering knowing pretty well that the 2014 scene will be repeated in the State in 2024, Mr Chandrababu felt.
The toddy-tappers who have been continuing in the profession for generations are now feeling insecure, Mr Chandrabbau Naidu said and promised that once the TDP is back in power a policy will be formed to allot 10-20 per cent of the liquor shops to the toddy-tappers community.
Maintaining that the main aim of the ‘Idemi Kharma-Mana Rashtraniki’ programme is to bring awareness among the public on the injustice being done to them, Mr Chandrababu called upon the people to get rid of this misfortune as early as possible. Pointing out that 6 BC leaders were done to death after the YSRCP came to power and false cases were registered against hundreds of the community leaders, he asked as to why TDP leader, Mr Kollu Ravindra, was sent to jail when he was in no was involved in the clash between two persons and why false cases were registered against Mr Ayyannapatrudu.
