Hyderabad: August 1 was a special day for Manda Krishna Madiga. The Dalit leader had turned emotional when the Supreme Court, in a landmark verdict, had ruled that states can sub-classify Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) for granting reservation to more disadvantaged groups among them in education and employment.
Krishna Madiga had been at the forefront of a three-decade-long campaign, demanding equitable reservation benefits among SCs and STs. "We had to endure countless insults, back stabbing and oppression; many of our activists had sacrificed their lives. Ultimately, truth has prevailed. We had stuck to the cause single-mindedly,” a relieved Krishna Madiga told DH.
Recalling his struggle, Krishna Madiga said, “Those who oppose sub-categories are powerful. They work at higher levels of bureaucracy, politics, legislative bodies, and even the judiciary. It was not an easy one.”
The beginning
“Since the 1980s, I have been involved in the social movement. Upper castes have consistently discriminated against us. We were not allowed into temples; we were forced to wash our plates and glasses when we ate at hotels,” the 59-year-old Dalit leader said. There was so much anger simmering in him since childhood that he had joined the Naxalite movement. A few years later, he quit that and joined the mainstream to forward the cause of Dalit empowerment.
It was then that he saw disparity within Dalit sub-groups, with Malas getting 80 per cent of the reservation benefits that are meant for all SCs. So he floated the Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS) on July 7, 1994, in Prakasam district of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, to “ensure fair distribution of reservation benefits among all Dalit sub-groups” based on their population and needs.
His trigger point was an incident of rape and death of three Mala girls in Chimakurthy of Prakasam district. “Being an activist, I went there to stand by the Malas. But having gone all the way there to extend support, it was disappointing that the Malas in that village treated me like an outcast because I was a Madiga,” he said. “From then on, I decided to fight for the rights of other sub-groups, and that was how the MRPS was born,” said Krishna Madiga.
Critical juncture
Telangana has a substantial SC population, according to the 2011 Census. While Madigas make up 32.33 lakh of 54.32 lakh SCs, Malas constitute 15.27 lakh. In Andhra Pradesh, there are 34.68 lakh Madigas and 40.43 lakh Malas of the total 84.45 lakh SCs.
Krishna Madiga's campaign reached a crucial juncture in 1999 when the then Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu introduced an Ordinance, categorising SCs into four sub-groups. However, in 2004, the Supreme Court struck down the Ordinance.
Despite this setback, Krishna Madiga, born into a family of daily wage labourers at Warangal in Telangana, continued urging the state and Central governments to amend the statutes to allow sub-categorisation among the SCs. He also braved the social stigma, adding his caste to his original name of Manda Yellaiah.
‘Major victory’
Krishna Madiga and the MRPS have hailed the August 1 Supreme Court's ruling as a major victory. The popular Dalit leader continues to live in a small rented flat in Durgabai Deshmukh colony in Hyderabad, where hundreds of people come to meet him everyday.
But Krishna Madiga has not been able to convert his popularity into ballot box gains. In 2004 and 2009, he contested elections as an Independent in the Madhira assembly seat in Khammam, but lost. In 2014, he launched the Mahajana Socialist Party and contested the Wardhannapet constituency in Warangal, and lost again. Nevertheless, the TDP, Congress and the BJP have offered to field him in elections. But, he has rejected their offers as he felt they would weaken the MRPS movement.
Bonhomie with Modi
His movement gained more traction during last year’s Assembly polls in Telangana, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a committee to look into the demand of Madigas. What caught the attention of the Madigas more was Modi’s on-stage bonhomie with Krishna Madiga during a public meeting.
“Krisham Madiga is our hero. He made the Prime Minister come all the way from Delhi to give us assurance. It was such a heartfelt scene to see Modi give Krishna Madiga a hug and console him," Isampalli Raju of Hanamkonda told DH.
Replicate success model
Krishna Madiga's next mission is to go across India and press for implementation of sub-categorisation of SCs and STs. “Punjab has already implemented it. After the SC verdict, the Haryana Cabinet gave its nod. We are expecting the Telangana government to implement the sub-category soon. Andhra Pradesh chief minister has already declared the implementation of the sub-category. Other political parties like the JDU, Congress, and the BJP are also on the same page. Regrettably, the RPI, LJP, and BSP, who have established their careers on Dalit discourse. are opposing these subcategories,” Krishna Madiga rued.