Amid political tensions in the state over the demand for reservation by the Kapu community, Andhra chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said that the reservation for the Kapus would not affect the quota for other people in the Backward Class (BC) category.
"The TDP Government is committed to the socio-economic empowerment of all BCs. I will ensure injustice is not done to any of them," The Hindu quoted him as saying.
The report adds that he was speaking at an event where he administered the oath of office to chairpersons and directors of various BC corporations. Naidu also stated that the TDP Government had allocated Rs 8,832 crore for the BC Sub-Plan.
Last week, security was stepped up, as thousands of police personnel were rushed from Kadapa, Chittoor, Kurnool and Krishna districts to the Konaseema region.
This came after Kapu leader Mudragada Padmanabham, irked over the "delay" by the state in granting reservation, was scheduled to lead a 'Satyagraha Padayatra' in East Godavari district.
The leader was put under house arrest.
The agitation by Kapus, seeking inclusion in the Backward Classes category, had turned violent at Tuni on January 31 when protesters went on the rampage and set fire to a passenger train, a police station, besides police and private vehicles.
The Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID) is investigating the train burning case.
The state government on the other hand, constituted a BC commission to look into the demands of reservation by the Kapu community.
Padmanabham has criticized the BC commission, stating that it was delaying the submission of its report on one pretext or the other.