VIJAYAWADA: YSR Congress MP Margani Bharat has said Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has offered 68 per cent posts to Backward Communities during the party’s rule since 2019, while TD leader Chandrababu Naidu had offered only 30 per cent positions to the BCs during his rule. “Naidu used BCs as TD’s vote banks,” he said.
Addressing the media here on Tuesday, he claimed that the BCs in the state are happy as the CM has ensured social justice in his governance of Andhra Pradesh. “We all appreciate the CM giving priority to candidates from the weaker sections in the legislative polls.”
Notably, in the selection of candidates for the vacant 18 MLC seats, as many as 11 BCs, two SCs, one each ST and minority candidates have been nominated as YSRC candidates. Bharat, recalling the statement of CM Jagan of 'Na BC, Na SC, Na ST, Na Minority', said, “The CM’s slogan has become the policy of our YSRC.”
The MP said the BC, SC, ST and minority families have been empowered in the form of the Jagananna for their economic, social and political uplift. “They feel CM Jagan has stood up as a beacon of hope for the downtrodden sections and express their sincere gratitude to him,” he said.
Bharat said, “everyone understood Jagananna's mentality that BC is not a ‘backward class’ but a ‘backbone class’.”
He said when Chandrababu got the same opportunity in 2014-2019, he gave preference to the well-being of the upper castes. Everyone should know that Chandrababu intended to give only 30 per cent of the posts to BC, SC and ST communities, even though they together constituted 80 per cent of the population in the state.
“Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has allotted more than 70 per cent of all posts to the same oppressed and weak sections. During Chandrababu's period, Rajya Sabha seats were given only to the rich and industrialists like Sujana Chaudhary, CM Ramesh, and Kanakamedala Ravindrakumar. Jagananna has sent ordinary BC leaders to the Rajya Sabha like social activist R Krishnaiah from the coastal region while Gorantla Madhav from Rayalaseema was sent to the Lok Sabha.”
