HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday said the next general elections would be crucial for the country and called for people’s full support to Rahul Gandhi, expressing confidence that Bahujans would be empowered when he became prime minister.
Participating in the birth anniversary celebrations of Pandaga Sayanna Mudiraj, the chief minister said his government was prioritising the political empowerment of all Backward Class (BC) communities. He announced that a Cabinet sub-committee would be constituted to study the inclusion of the Mudiraj community in the BC-A category.
Revanth said the community’s reclassification from BC-D to BC-A had been delayed due to a lack of accurate data. The issue would be discussed at the next Cabinet meeting, after which the sub-committee would undertake a comprehensive study, he said.
“Mudiraj community constitutes the largest population in my Kodangal constituency, and its members are known for their trustworthiness,” he said.
Recalling his tenure as Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president, Revanth Reddy said he had appointed Srihari Mudiraj as a District Congress Committee president, given him an Assembly ticket and later inducted him into the Cabinet. Neelam Madhu was also given a party ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections, he added.
The chief minister asked BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar to take up the issue with TPCC president Mahesh Goud and seek an MLC ticket for a Mudiraj community representative. “It is my responsibility to ensure the Mudiraj community is made a partner in the government,” he said.
He acknowledged the need to address misconceptions and concerns raised by other castes over the proposed inclusion of the Mudiraj community in BC-A. He also highlighted the BC census conducted by the Congress government, saying the data had enabled communities to raise their demands more effectively.
Revanth Reddy listed the welfare schemes launched by his government for various communities and poorer sections. He also announced that statues of Pandaga Sayanna and Doddi Komuraiah would soon be installed on Tank Bund.
Praising Sayanna’s resistance to feudal landlords during the Nizam’s rule, the chief minister said he had stood by marginalised people when landlords, known as Doras, encroached on their land. Sayanna had also organised people against feudal oppression and helped poor families meet the marriage expenses of their daughters.
When Sayanna was arrested by the Nizam’s police, the then Maharani of Wanaparthy paid a substantial sum to secure his release. Despite his unjust murder, his songs continue to be heard during sowing and harvesting seasons, he said.
The chief minister later visited the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Kodangal and inspected ongoing development works.
