Etala Demands BC-A Status for Mudiraj Community, Blames KCR:
Senior BJP leader Etala Rajendar has urged the state government to reclassify the Mudiraj community from BC-D to BC-A, enabling them to access education and employment reservations. He criticized Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao for not taking action on this matter despite a significant public meeting held by the Mudiraj community in 2016.
Speaking at the ‘Mudiraj Atmagaurava Sabha’ at Parade Ground, Rajendar accused all political parties of neglecting the Mudiraj community. He pointed out that during the tenure of Y.S. Rajashekar Reddy as Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, the community was reclassified from BC-D to BC-A through a government order (GO). However, due to legal issues, this change was only in effect for a year. Rajendar noted that reservations for minorities, announced during the same period, remain in force and are protected by minority MLAs in the Supreme Court. In contrast, the Mudiraj community lacks representation, leading to the neglect of their issue.
Rajendar emphasized that the Mudiraj community constitutes 11 percent of the state’s population and called on the state government to allocate Rs 20,000 crore for their welfare. He criticized the government’s current allocation of Rs 500 crore under the BRS regime for the free distribution of fishlings and demanded monetary support instead.
Etala Rajendar also called for the Mudiraj community to have complete rights over irrigation projects and water bodies and to grant membership in fishermen societies to all Mudiraj individuals. He warned of potential actions if solar panels installed in irrigation projects adversely affect their livelihood.
Furthermore, Rajendar criticized Rao for not allocating any tickets to Mudiraj community members for the upcoming elections, despite their population share. He argued that this insulted the community and questioned why they should support a party that does not respect their representation.
Etala Rajendar expressed concerns that Rao was attempting to secure Mudiraj community votes through the free distribution of fishlings and urged the community not to fall for such tactics.
Meanwhile, Telangana Mudiraj Mahasabha president Ch Shankar Mudiraj echoed Rajendar’s sentiments, stating that the BRS government had insulted the community and attempted to diminish their self-respect. He pointed out that Mudirajs had played a significant role in bringing BRS to power in 2018 but had not received their fair share of representation.
The vice president of the organization, P. Nageswara Mudiraj, stated that thousands of people from all 119 constituencies had gathered at the Mahasabha to voice their concerns about the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s denial of assembly tickets to the community. He emphasized that Mudirajs represent 15 percent of the state’s population and are the largest caste among BCs, yet Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao did not give them representation in the party.
Also read: Purandeswari Calls for CBI Investigation into Andhra Pradesh Liquor Policy
