VIJAYAWADA: Reiterating his commitment for providing BC status to the Kapu community, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday said his government was making every effort to ensure no injustice is done to the existing backward castes in the process.
Briefing mediapersons after a marathon cabinet meeting here, the Chief Minister said the issue was discussed at length in the meeting and every aspect was taken into consideration.
“It was decided to constitute a cabinet sub-committee with six ministers -- two deputy chief ministers KE Krishnamurthy and Nimmakayala Chinna Rajappa, finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, municipal administration minister P Narayana, education minister Ganta Srinivas Rao and BC welfare minister Kollu Ravindra -- to ensure that Kapu reservation process goes on smoothly,” he said.
He further said Justice Manjunath, who will be heading the BC Commission to decide on reservation for Kapus, will be asked to submit his report within nine months. An action plan would be suggested to the commission and it will be asked to submit the report at the earliest, he said.
Naidu said as promised Rs 1,000 crore would be allotted to the Kapu Welfare and Development Corporation in the next financial year and, meanwhile, all applications for financial assistance would be cleared.
Reading from the election manifestos of the TDP, Congress and the YSRC, he said the common part in all the manifestos was setting up the BC Commission for inclusion of Kapus in BCs and ensuring that whatever decision is taken pertaining to reservations, has a legal sanctity.
“Now, they all are resorting to double speak. I spoke to Kapu leaders and they too agreed that without legal sanctity, any decision will not be of any use. All they wanted was to ensure that the Commission submits it report at the earliest and the promised funds for the corporation. We are taking every step in that direction,“ he said.
Chandrababu Naidu did a balancing act while constituting the six-member cabinet sub committee for ironing out any political issues, as BCs are opposed to reservations to Kapus, by including both Kapu and BC ministers in the committee. He said he wanted no friction between Kapus and BCs, as both are vital for TDP.
While describing BCs as the backbone of the Telugu Desam Party, he said that Kapus too have been with TDP, as evident from total support the TDP got in the last elections in the Kapu-dominated twin Godavari districts as well as Anantapur and Visakhapatnam.
Describing Kapu reservations as a sensitive issue, he said any wrong step or indication can lead to differences between the two groups. He urged BC leaders like R Krishnaiah to maintain restraint and not issue statements as it would complicate the issue. “I assure you, there will be no injustice to the BCs. We are in search of ways and means to accommodate Kapus without hurting the interests of the BCs. Additional reservations would require the President’s assent,” he said.
Naidu all they want was friction between BCs and Kapus, so they can benefit politically.