HJYDERABAD: The Congress high command’s choice of candidates for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections has left leaders from the Madiga community fuming as they believe the party has favoured the Mala community.
They point to the allocation of tickets for three reserved Lok Sabha seats—Peddapalli, Nagarkurnool, and Warangal — to non-Madiga community leaders as the reason for their angst. In previous elections, the Congress had strove to maintain a balance in ticket distribution across social groups, but this poll has been different, stirring discontent among Madiga leaders. Most Madiga leaders say that lack of representation could lead to a decline in their political influence.
The angst of the Madiga community is best exemplified by former minister Mothkupalli Narasimhulu who undertook a one-day hunger strike to highlight the extent of dissatisfaction. The fact that Narasimhulu received support from senior leaders like V Hanumantha Rao and Sarve Satyanarayana is being seen as a pointer that overlooking of Madiga leaders in the matter of ticket distribution has created turmoil in the party.
Moreover, criticism from MRPS president Manda Krishna Madiga who accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of giving priority to the Mala community has added fuel to the fire. The failure to announce sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes (SCs) is being exploited by the BJP to corner the Congress.
It may be mentioned here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently said that he was in favour of sub-categorisation of SCs. Following this, the BJP expects the Madiga community to support it in the coming elections.
The Congress is now worried that the Madiga community will tilt towards the BJP, a matter that could reflect in the elections.
Worried, leaders of the grand old party are reported to have sent SOS to the high command to step in and mitigate the damage by addressing the concerns raised by Madiga leaders.