Hyderabad: Former Deputy Chief Minister T Rajaiah has questioned legal sanctity for the Scheduled Caste (SC) classification, demanding the Congress government to clarify the criteria for the categorisation.
He stated that the Madigas should be granted 11 per cent reservation based on their population and called for a review of castes included in different categories.
Addressing the media at Telangana Bhavan on Wednesday, Rajaiah criticised the inclusion of developed castes in backward groups, citing inclusion of Budagajangams community were included in category A, while Nethakani community were added to category C.
“The SC categorisation was approved by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy under influence of the Congress leaders hailing from the Mala community. Health Minister Damodar Rajanarsimha also did not support the Madigas, leading to injustice,” he remarked.
Referring to activist Manda Krishna Madiga’s three-decade-long struggle, Rajaiah pointed out that multiple commissions, including the Shamim Akhtar Committee, have acknowledged the historical injustice faced by the Madigas.
MLA K Manik Rao, BRS leaders RS Praveen Kumar, Errolla Srinivas, and others also underscored the demand for fair representation in the SC categorisation.