KAKINADA : After being flayed for stating that he would not assure quota for Kapus if he came to power, YSRC president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday clarified that he would fight for the cause if it did not infringe on the benefits accorded to backward classes.
“YSRC has been striving for the development of Kapus and we will continue to do so,’’ he said during a public meeting at Pitapuram in East Godavari district as part of Praja Sankalpa Yatra.
The YSRC claimed Jagan’s comment had been taken out of context and distorted by certain sections of the media, leading to Kapu patriarch Mudragada Padmanabham and TDP leaders hitting out at him. “We are for quota for Kapus as long as it does not come in the way of affirmative action for backward classes,” Jagan said reacting to Mudragada’s contention that his stand had cost him the right to seek votes from Kapus.
The YSRC chief, however, stuck to his remark that Chief Minister and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu had promised reservation to the community despite knowing that it would exceed the quota limit of 50 per cent. “You (Naidu) have deceived Kapus by promising to provide reservations to the community within six months of coming to power. Four-and-half years have passed, where are the reservations?’’ he took a dig at Naidu.
He taunted the yellow party leader saying that despite having promised `5,000 crore for Kapus in five years, just `1,340 crore had been allotted until now. Jagan quoted from Bharat ane Nene to reiterate his promise that the YSRC would set aside `10,000 crore for the Kapu community’s development: “Jagan ane nenu, Kapu Corporation ki `10,000 crore ista ani pramanapurti ga cheptunna (I, Jagan, promise to give `10,000 crore to Kapu Corporation). It Naidu’s habit to cheat people of all castes.’’ “Naidu deceived Kapus. He has now come up with a new drama and asked his MPs to raise the issue of reservations in Parliament,’’ Jagan said.