Andhra Pradesh

Congress Mala, Madiga MLAs form panel in Andhra Pradesh

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: Scheduled Caste MLAs and MLCs of Congress have formed a six-member coordination committee as part of an initiative on behalf of the ruling party to resolve the conflict between Madigas and Malas over categorisation of SCs.

Over a dozen party MLAs and MLCs met here on Wednesday to constitute the panel and decide the future course of action.

The members of the committee are V. Venkaiah and M. Vamsi Krishna (both from Telangana), C. Sailajanath and Dara Sambaiah (Rayalaseema) and D. Manik Varaprasad and N. Subrahmaniam (coastal Andhra).

Three of them are Malas and three others Madigas. Mr. Subrahmaniam, who hosted the meeting, later told reporters that it was decided to request Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy to undertake region-wise enumeration of the caste composition of SCs to anlayse the backwardness of different groups.

He said the objective of the meeting was to enable the Congress take the lead in resolving the issue so that other parties did not cash in on it. The Congress legislators would try to find an amicable solution to the problem by urging Government to take up a population census of SCs. They would also request the Government to evolve a special component plan for SC on the lines of the Maharashtra model.

Mr. Subrhamaniam said an extended meeting involving several Ministers, MPs, MLAs and other senior leaders of Congress would be held soon to strengthen these efforts.

Mala Mahanadu president and MLC, Jupudi Prabhakar Rao said his organisation was opposed to collection of region-wise data of SC population as it went against the spirit of Supreme Court judgement which struck down demand for categorisation of the castes.

Such attempts would boomerang on Congress.

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