Andhra Pradesh passes bill to provide five percent quota for Kapus

VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh legislature on Saturday unanimously passed the Kapu (reservation of seats in educational institutes and posts in services under the State), Bill, 2017, to extend 5 per cent reservation to the Kapus under the backward classes (BCs) category.However, the Act will not provide the Kapus reservation in political positions in AP. Prior to introducing the Bill, the State Cabinet, which met in Velagapudi on Saturday morning, gave its nod for the Bill. 

Addressing the AP legislative Assembly and Council separately, chief minister Chandrababu Naidu said he himself gave the assurance to extend BC reservation to the Kapus, Telagas, Balijas and Ontaris during his padayatra before the 2014 elections. “No one told me to announce reservations for the Kapus. But I observed their condition and put the issue in the TDP election manifesto and now I have embarked on fulfilling my promise,” he said.

At the same breath, Naidu also said that this move will not cause any harm the BCs and allayed their fears saying that the government created a separate category BC (F) for  Kapus for extending reservations. Stating that the BCs are the backbone of the TDP, he  said that the question of neglecting BCs will never arise.

Claiming that several leaders mounted pressure on him to issue an order for extending BC reservations to Kapus, the chief minister said that he put sincere efforts to ensure that his assurance given to the Kapus did not face any hurdle from the courts.

The CM finally took the decision based on the report of the BC Commission. He said that the BC Commission headed by Justice Manjunath was formed in January 2016. It studied the Smart Pulse Survey and data from various resources. The panel also analysed the condition of the Kapus and recommended to the government to extend 4 to 5 per cent reservation for the community.

The commission looked into all the required data, analysed social and other conditions like rates of literacy, employment, school dropouts and BPL families in the Kapu community. Based on the report submitted by majority members of the committee, the state Cabinet gave its consent for BC reservation to Kapus. Naidu also recalled that the previous Congress government, during the period of 2004 to 2014 (before bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh), formed two committees but did not include the Kapus, Telagas, Balijas and Ontaris as BCs. Although one of the panels suggested that 17 castes be classified as BCs, the Congress included 13.