AP Madigas win SC categorisation battle
Hyderabad: Andhra Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has succeeded in securing the President’s approval for categorisatin of the Scheduled Castes population into ABCD groups.
The presidentail clearance means removal of the last hurdle in a long struggle to fulfill the demands of a section of the SCs for better deal.
It is also the culimination of a protracted struggle of the Madigas for a better deal vis-a-vis the Malas among the SCs.
Mala opposition: in response to recurring demand for justice by the Madigas, the CM had announced in the State Assembly the constitution of a commisison for categorisation on Sept.2, 1996. A commission. headed by Justice P. Ramachandra Raju, a former judge of the High Court, submitted its report on May 28, 1997.
The GO on the categorisation was quashed by the High Court on July 21. A full bench of the High Court also quashed the GOs. (Hindu Dec. 1, 1999).
Meanwhile, the Mala Mahanadu has vehemently opposed the AP Govt. move to promulgate an ordinance on SC categorisation. Mahanadu president P.V. Rao distanced himself from the written document he had signed along with the “Madiga Dandora” that he would honour the verdict of President Narayanan on the categoristion controversy.
The 15% job reservation for SCs in govt. service will be rationalised with 7% going to Madigas, 6% to Malas and 1% each to Relli and Adi-Andhra subcastes. This is the first time that SC categorisation has been introduced in the country.
Madiga split: Manda Krishna, who led the Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MRPS), walked some 2,000 km. from Chandrababu Naidu’s native village. in Chittoor dt. to Hyderabad in support of the categoriation.
The MRPS later split into two and Krishna headed the Mahajana Front, an omnibus association of Backward Classes and minorities, and contested the elections. The Front drew a blank, polling less than 1% vote. Krishna resigned from it and returned to the MRPS. P.V. Rao, an assistant director in the Information Dept. and president of the Mala Mahanadu, was given a Congress ticket for the Assembly poll. As he was facing a departmental inquiry, he could not resign his govt. job and thus could not contest. (Hindu Dec. 3, 1999) (Sell also p.19)
