In a landmark judgement on Thursday, the Supreme Court allowed sub-classification (sub-quotas) of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in reservations, giving wider protection to under-represented groups. Of the 59 SC sub-castes in Telangana, Madiga is the largest, followed by Mala. According to unofficial estimates of the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government, SCs constitute about 19 per cent of the state’s population.
The Supreme Court order is a big victory for Manda Krishna Madiga, who heads the Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MRPS) and has been a vocal supporter of sub-quota for decades. Manda Krishna Madiga said that the apex court’s order is a big victory for the marginalised communities among SCs and STs. During the Telangana assembly elections last year in Secunderabad, Manda Krishna Madiga became emotional on the stage when Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived to address a public rally. PM Modi was seen talking to the MRPS leader on the stage, where Manda Krishna Madiga broke down in tears. After this, PM Modi held Madiga’s hand and consoled him.
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Who is Manda Krishna Madiga?
Manda Krishna Madiga was born in 1965 in Yellaiya. He is a leader and activist known for his commitment to the rights of the marginalised Madiga community. The Madiga community historically comprises of leather workers and manual scavengers. In the 1980s, he was an anti-caste activist and founded the Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi in July 1994. He added the surname Madiga to his name to garner support from his community. He has always fought for issues such as caste discrimination, children’s health and disability rights.
started as an activist
Manda Krishna Madiga began his journey as an anti-caste activist in Warangal in the early 1980s. He took action against upper caste individuals who were abusing lower castes. During this time, he received support from the People’s War Group, a Naxalite group. However, he later abandoned militancy to secure the rights of marginalised Dalit communities through legal means. After this, Manda Krishna joined the Dalit movement. During the same period, two major massacres took place against Dalits, which left him disheartened.
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Was in contact with Modi for a decade
MRPS was set up in Edumudi village in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh with the aim of implementing internal reservation i.e. sub-quota. Since 2013, PM Modi was in talks with Manda Krishna Madiga, whose organisation MRPS was demanding internal reservation within the Scheduled Caste category. After the meeting with Manda Krishna, the BJP promised internal reservation in its 2014 manifesto.
‘We got what we wanted’
Speaking about the impact of the Supreme Court verdict, Manda Krishna Madiga said in an interview with The Indian Express, “The decades-old movement of the Madiga people has come to an end as we got what we wanted. The movement that started in 1994 has come to an end after a long gap of 30 years. We are very happy with the verdict.” He said that There were many ups and downs in this movement and many attempts were made to derail it. We had to suffer a lot during this process, but we got support from people of all sections. We are happy with this.”
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Said, a hundred generations will benefit from this
Manda Krishna Madiga said that our sacrifice has not gone in vain. This decision will benefit a hundred generations of Madigas and other Dalit castes. He said, “I give credit for this victory to three types of people. One, those who gave their lives for reservation. Second, MRPS workers who stood with the party by overcoming all obstacles. I also thank the people of different castes for the support given to this movement.”
Manda Krishna is well aware that there are many people who have sacrificed their lives for MRPS. He said that we will form committees to help their family members. After bringing the matter for discussion in the MRPS governing body, we will give them whatever they need.
Tags: Caste Reservation, PM Modi, SC Reservation, Supreme Court, Telangana News
FIRST PUBLISHED : August 3, 2024, 12:54 IST
