In a sudden decision, former minister and Kapu strongman from East Godavari district Mudgada Padmanabham on Monday announced withdrawal of his agitation for reservations to Kapu community under Backward Classes quota.
He issued a statement to this effect in the morning.
He said he was pained at a systematic campaign being unleashed by some “gentlemen” through some Kapu brothers demoralising me and weakening me psychologically through social media and electronic media.
“I don’t know why I am being attacked by like this. Perhaps they are under the impression that I had not given them a share in the funds that I had collected during the movement for Kapu reservation or the booty collected from industrialists by threatening them, after surrendering myself to the former chief minister or present chief minister,” he lamented.
He said former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu was responsible for the revival of the agitation for Kapu reservation.
“He had promised to include Kapus in the BC list and give them reservations and I had to take up the agitation when he did not fulfil the promise,” he said.
Mudragada clarified that he had never aspired for posts and positions or making big money through the Kapu reservation agitation.
“In fact, I have lost heavily both financially and health-wise. But I was never worried about any loss and always strived for the uplift of the Kapus,” he said.
The former minister said though there were attempts to hijack his movement, he had never felt bad about it.
“I always told my well-wishers that if any other leader could bring the reservations to Kapus, it was always welcome. I never desired that I should take the entire credit. I also told Naidu that I didn’t expect anything if he had provided reservations to Kapus,” he clarified.