Petition to bring Boyas in ST category

Mahabubnagar: Boya Hakkula Porata Samithi President Minugu Gopi Bhoya has demanded that the Central government recognise the backwardness of the Boya community and include them under the ST category.

He informed that the Boya community leaders from across the country are gathering in Delhi and planning to stage a protest titled ‘Delhi Lo Boyala Lolli’ for 3 days on August 2, 3, 4. The leaders are also planning to meet Union Minister Kishan Reddy to seek his intervention to help their cause. He threatened that they would not gherao Kishan Reddy if he does not take up their cause.

“It is a pity that today the heirs of Valmiki, who wrote Ramayana, have to fight for their rights in this country. We are not demanding anything new. Already the Boya community was included in ST category before 1956; however after Neelam Sanjive Reddy from erstwhile Andhra Pradesh became the President, the then central government without conducting any enquiry or without setting up any commission unilaterally removed the Boyas from the ST community and included them into BC community. This has led to a great injustice to the 6.5 lakh Boya population living in Telangana. As already the state government of Telangana passed a resolution in the Assembly, the Centre has to act on the issue at least in this Parliamentary session,” he said.

Gopi further reminded that the state government had set up the Chellappa Committee to study the living standards and economic status of Boyas and the recommendation was sent to the central government.