- Political parties giving priority to their communities
- Will it be another Bihar in coming days?
- When will public know ‘caste’ is not important
Amaravati: Yes, Andhra Pradesh State has been witnessing polarisation on the lines of communities rather than focussing on development. Every party is trying its best to compete in this issue for their political benefits. Even the people of State are also becoming habitual on this issue when elections come. Recent election results proved the same in many wards and Panchayats.
This is not the first time
That the caste factor has come to the fore in Andhra Pradesh elections. It was seen during the Congress period in 80’s ad later when NTR floated TDP, it reached the peak. The main upper castes in the state, Reddy and Kamma showed their aggressiveness when their affiliated parties came to power. We have seen faction groups in Rayalaseema, but this caste factor became viral in the State which had spread like venom at ground level. Now the people of the State are worried that it will become like Bihar in coming days with violence and factions dominating the society.
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Who is responsible?
Certainly it is political leaders who started this game and gamble. They were successful in splitting the religions like Hindu, Muslim and Christian into Reddy, kamma, Kaapu, BCs, SCs, STs etc. This is all for the sake of their vote bank politics, even the political analysts while talking about survey results predict which caste will vote for which party. This is a pathetic situation at present, particularly in a State like Andhra Pradesh, which is yearning for development after United Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated.
Kapus too joined the race
Kapu community used to support congress party earlier, but for the first time, they are looking towards Jana Sena and they are united as never before. Even when Chiranjeevi launched Praja Rajyam Party in 2008, this phenomenon was not there. Otherwise, it would have won more seats, said a kapu leader, who is not interested to reveal his name. When other communities are coming on a platform of their own, then why should we be on a back foot. It’s the time for us to stand and support Jana Sena, added another leader. For the first time, in recent panchayat elections, Kapu community supported Jana Sena party in many districts.
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Political heads don’t accept this trend to continue in Assembly elections.
There are divided opinions in the cadre on this issue. AP CM Jagan never openly asked Reddy’s to unite behind him; neither NTR nor YSR gave such a call to their respective communities.. It is the second grade leaders who utilised this opportunity for their own growth. Pawan Kalyan who waited for seven years and raised slogans of social justice, called Mudragada Padmanabham for a meet after knowing that Kapu community support is a must for him to grow. The compulsion for political leaders to grab their caste votes is a worrying factor for the State.
When will people know?
This is difficult to answer as they have become used to voting on caste lines. The reference to caste in general conversation has also increased. Now the AP State looks to be divided into three predominant caste zones in political warfare. When will people or voters know that they are pawns in the political game played by parties in the fray for their individual benefit?
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