Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad

Dalit/BC groups put Govt. on notice

By Our Special Correspondent

Hyderabad April 8. Sixteen State-level SC, ST and BC organisations have demanded that the Government choose an eligible person/professor from among these sections as Vice-Chancellor of Osmania University and have threatened to launch an agitation if done otherwise.

Among them, the AP BC Welfare Association, headed by R. Krishnaiah, warned of a dharna at the Chief Minister's residence if the Government again opts for an upper caste person.

The demand was articulated at a press conference here on Monday by Mr. Krishnaiah, K. Kondala Rao of BC Mitrulu, P. L. Vishweshwer Rao of Forum of Social Justice, P. Sundaraiah Yadav of AP BC Classes Association, U. Sambasiva Rao (Samajika Nyaya Udyama Vedika), T. Krishna Rao (Osmania University SC/ST Teachers' Association), Bellaiah Naik (Lambada Hakkula Porata Samiti), Ramkoti Naik AP Girijana Employees' Federation and leaders of Madiga Hakkula Porata Samiti, SC Protection Forum, AP SC Welfare Association and AP Ambedkar Yuvajana Sangham. Manda Krishna Madiga and J. B. Raju, two other big names among SC leaders, also associated themselves with the demand.

The SC/ST/BC leaders said that in the 83-year-long history of Osmania University, only once a person from these sections, a BC (V. Ramakrishnayya), was appointed for the post and that too for a short stint of three years. It was mostly SC/ST/BC students who came to the university from Telangana, the area covered by the university, and the appointment of a V-C from these sections would go a long way in doing justice to them. In support pf their contention, Mr. Krishnaiah and Prof. Vishweshwer Rao cited the present lapses such as heavy amounts collected for college and hostel admissions, scrapping of mess in hostels, lenience towards sanction of scholarships and discrimination shown in appointments/promotions which all "were serving as deterrent preventing weaker section students from pursuing higher studies.''

The leaders said there were 11 universities in the State and the V-C post for nine among them was occupied by upper castes. Ravva Srihari, a BC, was the V-C for Dravidian University and Y. Simhadri, an SC, for Andhra University but between these two, the first one should not be considered a university as it was run like a college. They demanded that seven out of these V-C posts should be set aside on a permanent basis for BCs and at least three for SCs/STs based on their proportion in population which stood at 50 per cent and 25 per cent respectively.

Dr. Vishweshwer Rao disagreed that candidates from SC/ST/BC sections lacked merit and circulated a paper which showed that there were 25 professors in Osmania with more than 10 years experience and 22 others having experience for 5 to 10 years. He, Mr Kondal Rao and Mr Krishnaiah said, all of them were with "proven academic and administrative excellence'' and challenged that the Government could verify this by organising a public forum wherein aspirants from upper castes could also be present to prove their mettle.

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