Kapu Movement a divided house

​Vijayawada: The Kapu Nadu movement, spearheaded by former minister Mudragada Padmanabham for BC status for the community with the involvement of Kapus, Balijas, Telagas and Ontari Kapus, appears to be a divided house ahead of his marathon Padayatra scheduled on Wednesday from Ravulapalem to Antarvedi for a distance of 116km.

A section of Kapu leaders from Konaseema region reportedly held a parallel meeting at Rajahmundry on Sunday adopted three resolutions such as a request to the government to expedite the release of the KL Manjunadhan Commission’s report on BC quota for Kapus, sanction of more funds for the Kapu Corporation and establishment of Kapu hostels.

The meeting was held under the aegis of the AP Kapu Sakshema Samithi under the aegis of Nalla Vishnu, member of the Kapu JAC speared by Padmanabham. According to sources, it was decided to hold another round of meeting in Guntur shortly.

The parallel activity is said to be a sequel to consultations held by film director and former minister Dasari Narayana Rao with the Kapu leaders in Rajahmundry some two months ago. The developments appear to be an indication to the rising aspirations in a section of Kapu leaders to build the movement with an independent identity without political shades.

The impression that the Kapu movement has lost its independent status as Padmanabham unwittingly began playing into the hands of the YSRC after the Tuni’s Kapu Gharjana has gained momentum in a section of Kapus, triggering parallel activity.

Nalla Vishnu, talking to this correspondent urged not to view their efforts as a parallel activity intending to differ with Mudragada’s leadership. “We got high respect for Padmanabham. If we belittle him, it amounts to belittling Kapus as a whole. Whatever we are doing is only supplementing his efforts to accomplish the mission”, Vishnu said.

In the same breath, he maintained that the Kapu Sankshema Samithi was in existence with an organisational structure all over the State much before Padmanabham launched the quota movement. In a related development, a section of Balijas in Rayalaseema region broke away from the fold of Mudragada Padmanabham and floated an outfit Balija United Front (BUF) in December last.

The front leaders are going round the Balija-populated areas in Rayalaseema and Nellore districts to build an organizational structure with the involvement of local leaders. OV Ramana, convener of the BUF said social justice will continue to elude Balijas as long as they sail with Kapus, a predominant caste in the coastal districts of East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna and Guntur districts.

The dwindling share of Balijas in distribution of political power appears to be growing discontent in the community. The community comprises 14-17 per cent in the four Rayalaseema districts, besides Nellore and parts of Prakasam districts after the State division. But the number of seats in Parliament and the Assembly represented by Balijas fell to 2 from eight over a period of three decades.

There are only two MLAs –Tirupati and Chittoor—from the community in the whole Rayalaseema region, said a retired professor of SV University from the community on condition of anonymity. Driving his point home, he said Rajampet Lok Sabha seat, once held by stalwarts from the community such as Ratnasabhapathi and Palakondrayudu slipped into the control of the dominant Reddies now.

Daggubati Purandhareswari, a leader from the Kamma community was imported from the coastal Andhra region by the BJP to contest as an MP candidate from Rajampet. How long we can bear this injustice, Ramana asked.