The Bahujans (marginalised Sections such as SCs, STs and BCs), who are in a majority in Andhra Pradesh, continue to be exploited by two castes, which have been keeping political power between themselves for several decades, according to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) State Coordinator J. Purnachandra Rao.
The former Director General of Police of Telangana State, who had joined the BSP, post-retirement, was appointed the State Coordinator by the party president Mayawati. He was in the city to hold a meeting with the party workers at the Visakhapatnam Public Library, in Visakhapatnam, on Monday (March 4).
A.P. politics is in a sorry state of affairs with representatives of only two castes, despite their comparatively lower population, managing to retain power between themselves with their money power. They have given a new definition to democracy as “democracy for the caste, by the caste and of the caste”, Mr. Rao alleged at a media conference.
The North Andhra districts of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam, despite their higher population of bahujans, do not have adequate representation in the A.P. Legislative Assembly. They were only given tickets in the seats reserved for them by the Constitution. The post of Chief Minister was being “reserved only for a person from the two dominant castes”.
He said that except for those two castes, the other forward castes have also become pawns in the game and were also being meted out a raw deal.
Unfortunately, these castes were also playing into the hands of the leaders of the two predominant castes, and ensuring the success of the parties dominated by those two castes.
The BSP State coordinator alleged that the leaders of these two caste groups were spending crores of Rupees to woo the voters and either doubling or tripling their investment after getting elected by indulging in corrupt practices. They were splitting people into two groups and sharing power through vote bank politics.
Mr. Rao said that the BSP has no external funding agencies unlike most other political parties.
Replying to queries, the BSP State coordinator said that the main motto of BSP was to secure political power for ‘bahujans’. He said it was for the party leadership to decide from where he should contest. BSP leader Lake Raja Rao was present.
