Founder-president of Jana Sena Party and film actor Pawan Kalyan today stressed the need for according BC reservations for the Kapus without affecting the interests of other Backward Classes.
Reacting to
the violent incidents that unfolded in Tuni of the East Godavari district in connection with the Kapu Garjana on Sunday, the Jana Sena chief at a media conference on Monday expressed his anguish and concern, and felt that it was the handiwork of anti-social elements.
He felt that no ordinary person fighting for his rights would indulge in such criminal acts.
"Definitely there was a hidden hand of anti-social elements," he observed.
Kalyan, though not in so many words, held the State government and the police responsible for the vandalism.
Asserting that he was not trying to politicise the issue, he said that the State and the police administration should have anticipated the trouble and taken adequate steps to prevent such incidents from taking place.
"Taking into consideration the huge turnout of agitators, adequate steps should have been taken. Then such ugly incidents would not have taken place," he added.
Pointing out that the issue of reservations for Kapus was there since the British era, the actor-politician opined that the reservation issue could be solved in a day.
It was unfortunate that while commissions were appointed to resolve the issue in the past, there was no follow-up action, he said. Efforts should be made to resolve the issue through discussions and dialogue with the concerned leaders, he felt, and added that to achieve any goal a proper action and methodology in a conducive atmosphere should be taken.
Asserting that he was not taking up the cause of any particular caste or community nor was he trying to gain any political mileage, Kalyan still pointed out that the Kapus were classified as BCs in Telangana, but as OCs in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra.
He appealed to all those who were spearheading the agitation on behalf of the Kapus to maintain restraint and not indulge in provocative actions. He also called upon all the political parties to help resolve the issue in an amicable manner through discussion and dialogue.
Replying to a volley of questions, Kalyan reiterated that he was not trying to derive any political mileage or corner the State government in power. He was only reacting to the unfortunate incident which could have been averted if the required precautionary steps were taken, he said.
In reply to a question, Kalyan expressed his anguish and concern over the death of HCU research scholar Rohith Vemula. Pointing out that caste discrimination was prevalent in all the universities, he said that but for such discrimination Vemula would not have been driven to take the extreme step. His suicide should not be politicised on the basis of caste or community, he said.