Andhra Pradesh: Jagan scraps Kapu quota, says not legally tenable

Source: indiatoday.in

The YS Jaganmohan Reddy government has overturned his predecessor N Chandrababu Naidu’s pre-poll decision to grant five per cent reservation to Kapus with an eye on the vote bank in Andhra Pradesh.

Naidu had deftly divided the central government sop of providing 10 per cent reservation to the economically weaker sections (EWS) among the open category castes between them and the Kapus equally.

The new YSR Congress government has found that the controversial decision is not legally tenable and that a number of writ petitions challenging Naidu’s act have been filed in different courts.

The 10 per cent EWS reservation was earmarked for the poorest on the basis of poverty. So, it is not possible to take half of it and apportion it to a community like Naidu did for furthering the TDP’s selfish politics, said Jagan, accusing his political opponent of ruining the Kapus quota chances of being included in the other backward classes (OBCs) list.

Share of the quota pie

Jagan has assured the Kapus that reservation for the community would be provided without tampering with the interest of the existing OBCs.

For this, the AP chief minister has asked three YSR Congress leaders — Kurasala Kanna Babu, Ummareddy Venkateswarly and Ambati Rambabu from among the Kapu community — to study the Manjunatha Commission report that examined issues relating to grant of reservations to the community which includes the Kapu, Telaga, Ontari and Balija castes and devise a strategy to ensure that reservations are guaranteed through appropriate legal measures.

Our stand on Kapu reservation is consistent. We are not against it if it is provided without affecting the interests of the existing BCs. We always support reservation for Kapus and work for their welfare. Chandrababu had spent Rs 1,340 crore in five years but we have allotted Rs 2,000 crore in the first budget itself, said Jagan.

Kapus, like Gujjars in Rajasthan, have been demanding inclusion among other backward classes for decades and, at times, some of their leaders have triggered violence too.

The TDP and the Congress have muddied the waters over the years making false promises notably when the belligerent Kapu leader Mudragada Padmanabham went on his legendary fasts unto death.

Putting a cap on reservations

Like his predecessors from rival political parties Jagan is helpless. Including Kapus among OBCs and providing reservation over and above the OBC quota is impossible without a Constitutional amendment since total reservations cannot exceed 50 per cent, according to a Supreme Court order. Accommodating the Kapus by reducing the quotas for OBCs is also not possible without antagonizing them.

Realizing this Naidu opted for the populist ploy and the untenable position of providing five per cent from the 10 per cent quota for the EWS that Jagan has rescinded. Its continuation could have created further confusion and made quota politics murkier at a time when admissions to various courses are on. By refusing to play politics over it, at least in the short term, Jagan is hopeful of deftly transforming a compulsion into a virtue that can possibly fetch the YSRC supporters and votes in the long run.