Kapu row: Mudragada threatens another hunger strike

Kapu community leader Mudragada Padmanabham today threatened to launch another hunger strike from March 11 if government fails to give him in writing the assurances it had made orally while making him withdraw a similar protest last month.
"I am giving government the ultimatum till March 10 evening to give in writing the assurances they had given me orally on providing reservation to Kapus at the time of withdrawal of my fast last month," Mudragada told reporters at his residence at Kirlampudi, 75 kms from here.
He said the TDP government has cheated him and rescinded its promises including releasing of Rs 500 crore to Kapu Welfare Corporation and inclusion of a person proposed by him as one of the members on Justice (retd) Manjunath Commission on Kapu reservation issue.

Mudragada alleged that false cases are being foisted on innocent people from the community who were not involved in the violent agitation at Tuni in East Godavari district in January for inclusion of Kapus in the Backward Classes (BC) category.
He demanded from government to cut short the timeframe set for the Commission to submit its report to six months.
Mudragada and his wife Padmavathi had resorted to indefinite fast in the wake of the protest, but called it off on the fourth day on oral assurances by a team of TDP leaders, including ministers, sent by chief minister Chandrababu Naidu.

However, the government at that time did not issue a GO (Government Order) to include Kapus in the BC list, as had been demanded by the Kapu leader.
The ruling party has accused him of playing into hands of YSR Congress Party president Jaganmohan Reddy.