In a bid to galvanise support from one section of Dalits from Telangana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, November 11 said that the INDIA alliance and Congress party are enemies of the Madiga community. Modi was speaking at the Madigala Vishwaroopa Sabha at Parade Ground in Hyderabad along with Manda Krishna Madiga, national president of the Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS). Modi also called Manda Krishna his younger brother and said that the Union government will set up a committee to consider the community’s demands.
Madigas, a Dalit community historically engaged in leatherwork and manual scavenging, are one of the two major Dalit groups in the Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Malas being the other large Dalit group. Additionally, there are 57 other sub-castes within the Scheduled Castes (SC). In Telangana, Madigas hold numerical strength over Malas but Malas have benefited more significantly from reservations due to various socio-economic and political factors, which resulted in Manda Krishna forming the MRPS and advocating internal reservations within the SC category.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Telangana, which has been trying to gain the support of the Backward Classes (BC) that form over 50% of the population, is now making a fresh bid to also garner support from the Madiga community for the November 30 Assembly election.
Read: Madiga leader to share stage with Modi in Hyderabad. Why is this significant?
Referring to Manda Krishna, Modi said, “He fought alone for three decades for sub categorisation within SC. He is my younger brother. From today, I am with you and the aspirations of the community. I will support Krishna Madiga’s movement, he will lead the movement. Every member of the Madiga community has fought a long non-violent battle.”
He added, “I did not come to the meeting to ask anything. I only came to seek forgiveness on behalf of the parties that cheated the Madiga Community.”
The PM alleged that the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Congress’s history is filled with hate towards the marginalised group. He added that both the BRS and Congress are corrupt and only the BJP is committed to social justice.
Speaking at the meeting, Manda Krishna said that society has not treated Madigas as equals. “There is awareness among the community now. We thank PM Modi for acknowledging our demand and recognising us. BRS and Congress have only made promises.”
Referring to PM Modi he said, “You have risen from a very poor background to become the Prime Minister of the country. You understand what it is to be disadvantaged and so you have come forward to understand the problems of the marginalised. That is why you have announced a BC legislator to become the CM face of Telangana from BJP,” he added.
Pointing out that there are no Madigas in the state cabinet headed by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), the MRPS leader said, “The cabinet is dominated by people from the upper caste Reddy and Velama community which are nominal in population, but no Madiga community member has been given a cabinet post. KCR did not give cabinet positions to a three-time Madiga MLA but PM Modi gave Rajya Sabha post to Madiga leader from Tamil Nadu, L Murugan, who lost elections by 1,000 votes. Narayanswamy, a strong leader who belongs to the Madiga community from Karnataka’s Chitradurga constituency, was made Union Minister by PM Modi.”
Manda Krishna stated that PM Modi was the only person truly adhering to Ambedkarite principles; he introduced the women's reservation bill in Parliament this year while a bill was introduced to make triple Talaq unconstitutional, for the benefit of minority women. “PM Modi also recognises that there are economically poor members in upper castes, so EWS reservation was introduced,” he stated and slammed the Congress for establishing committees on internal reservation but failing to implement the recommendations.
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