http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Congress-to-chant-Reddy-mantra-/articleshow/7012465.cms
Congress to chant Reddy mantra
Kingshuk Nag, TNN, Nov 30, 2010, 02.37am IST
HYDERABAD: Faced with an onslaught from Jaganmohan Reddy, the Congress
party in Andhra Pradesh is going back to the basics. Traditionally
seen as a party representing the interests of the landowning Reddy
community, the Congress is now going to emphasize on its Congress
roots in the new political scenario in the state.
This is a change from the situation in the last few months when the
Rosaiah regime was seen as buiiding up a non-Reddy coalition with
Kammas and Vaishyas and other OBCs. In fact it was opposition from the
Reddys that ultimately led to the ouster of Rosaiah. "But now the
Congress proposes to go back on its traditional support base. The
time-tested formula is expected to serve it the best," an analyst from
the Congress camp said.
Though the Congress in Andhra Pradesh has been headed by the Reddys,
it also has had Kapus (a cultivator caste) and Malas (a section of the
Dalits) as junior partners in the alliance. In the run-up to the 2009
elections, the Kapus (now economically empowered as compared to the
past) sought their place in the sun by floating their own political
outfit. This is Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam Party. Though this party
was not a spectacular success, it did win 18 seats and also 18 per
cent of the popular votes.
"For a new party, this is a significant vote share," an analyst
pointed out. Now the Congress to prevent the erosion of its Kapu base
is offering an alliance to the PRP by inducting members of
Chiranjeevi's party into the govermment. This is expected to keep the
old poltical matrix intact. At the same time, to ensure that the
Dalits do not leave the Congress, the Kiran Kumar Reddy government is
expected to have a Scheduled Caste deputy chief minister. This will
keep the Dalit votes also with the government.
More significantly, all this will make life a wee bit difficult for
Jagan. With Reddy interests firmly with the Congress, young Jagan will
find it difficult to wean away supporters from the Reddy community to
his new outfit. This will be a setback for him because most of his
supporters are from the Reddy ranks. How important the Reddys are for
the Congress can be seen from the fact that of the 11 Congress chief
ministers in the state, 8 have been Reddys.
"Starting with Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy who later became President of
India to Kiran Kumar Reddy, most of them have been Reddys. A notable
exception was P V Narasimha Rao who later became the Prime Minister,"
an analyst said.
Interestingly, in percentage terms Reddys just comprise 6 per cent of
the population while Kapus are around 20 per cent. The Kapus are
however not a homogeneous group. The Dalits form around 11 per cent of
the population. The other major caste - the Kammas - are with the
rival Telugu Desam Party (TDP). The Kammas amongst the richest of
communities comprise a mere 5 per cent of the total population.
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