Gujarat “Patidar” shock felt in Andhra

Andhra Pradesh government is all set to announce the formation a Kapu welfare finance corporation for the welfare of the Kapus in the state. The Patel movement in Gujarat demanding reservations seems to have had its impact on the thinking of state government, which is sitting over the demand for BC status by Kapu community for long. According BC status to Kapus is the poll promise of the Telugu Desam party given during the campaign for 2014 election.

Kapus , though politically community, is a sensitive community. Having failed to become a ruling caste in Andhra Pradesh like Reddy, Kamma and Velama, the Kapu leaders now want to extract special status that is inclusion of Kapus in OBC list- which sounds like the demand of Patels of Gujarat. The demand has been rallying cry of Kapus for decades. It’s not a simple welfare demand. There is a political ring to it. As Kapu caste could not gain membership to the ruling-club , it is said to have discovered the short to cut route to become a big and leading caste by becoming one among OBCs and attempt to lead them politically, to catapult itself into a ruling status. But, the OBC are dead set against it. As the delay in taking decision on the BC status to Kapus has the potential to promote a leader to organize Kapus youth in the state, government is thinking of silence them by dangling finance corporation.

The demand, though not achievable, had produced many leaders such as Mudragada Padmanabham, Chiranjeevi etc. Such an eventuality can’t be ruled out now also. Pawan Kalyan is careful enough to get branded as Kapu leader. But Kapus are watching his moves. The TDP government has allocated Rs 100 crore for Kapu welfare in the previous budget. Now, the government thinks it is high time it took one more decision to please the Kapus. As the BC status is not possible, the government is said to be giving finishing touches to the proposal to set up a Kapu Financial Corporation Ltd.

Deputy chief minister Nimmakayala Chinna Rajappa confirmed this and said it would be on the lines of the one announced for Brahmins of the state.