YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy seems to unperturbed over the uproar created in the Kapus over his decision to withdraw five percent reservations to the community in education and employment opportunities.
On Saturday night, the Jagan government issued a GO implementing 10 per cent reservation to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) among forward castes as per the 103rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019.
The latest GO clearly mentioned that the earlier GO issued by the Telugu Desam Party government headed by N Chandrababu Naidu providing five per cent quota to Kapus out of the 10 per cent reservation for EWS introduced by the Narendra Modi government.
It would mean the quota being provided for Kapu community stands cancelled.
Jagan’s decision caused a lot of uproar in the Kapu community. Former minister and Kapu strongman Mudragada Padmanabham wrote a strongly-worded letter to Jagan on Monday questioning the rationale behind withdrawal of five per cent quota.
In the evening, ministers, MLAs and MLCs of YSRC met the chief minister in the assembly and brought to his notice the latest developments on the issue of Kapu reservation.
But Jagan was strong in his stand. He categorically told them that his stand on Kapu reservation had not changed and is in line with what was stated in the manifesto (that the ball is in the centre’s court).
He said he was not against Kapu reservations provided that the rights and interests of BCs are not disturbed.
He, however, constituted a three-member panel comprising Ummareddy Venkateswarulu, Ambati Rambabu and Kurasala Kannababu to look into the report of the Manjunatha Commission on the Kapu reservation.
Jagan alleged that the TDP was trying to use the issue of Kapu's reservation for its selfish politics.
He said Naidu had sent a letter to the Central government in 2017, asking to classify Kapus as BC community. He later wrote another letter giving 5 per cent reservation to the Kapus in EBC.
“The Centre had written a letter to TDP government on April 4th and sought clarity on whether the State takes back the decision of including Kapus in the BC list. Chandrababu did not reply to that letter,” he said.
Jagan pointed out that 10 per cent of EBC reservation was given for the poorest on a poverty basis and not on caste basis.
“Knowingly, TDP had given 5 percent reservation to Kapus on caste basis against the central government guidelines,” he said.