Rajakas celebrate Fadnavis’ return as chief minister

Giddalur: The members of the Rajaka community in the Prakasam district performed special prayers for their deity Madelayya Swami at Racherla in the Giddalur assembly constituency on Thursday, celebrating the reappointment of Devendra Fadnavis as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

The community leaders expressed hope that Fadnavis’ leadership would revive their longstanding demand for inclusion in the Scheduled Caste (SC) category in Maharashtra.

Andhra Pradesh State Secretary of the Rajaka SC Reservation Porata Samithi, Enumula Pullayya explained that historically, Dhobis in the Maharashtra region were listed under the SC category before the independence to the country, and continued to hold this status in the Central Province post-independence.

However, following the formation of Maharashtra, they were excluded from the state’s Scheduled Caste list, leading to decades of protests for SC reservations. He said that during his previous tenure, Fadnavis had made efforts to address this issue by proposing their inclusion in the SC category. However, his subsequent resignation as Chief Minister stalled the process, he said.

Now, with Fadnavis back in the office of the Chief Minister and the recent election victory of the Maha Yuti alliance, Pullayya expressed optimism that their demands would finally be fulfilled. As part of the celebrations, local members of the community, including leaders like Nagarikanti Singarayya, Ramesh, Ankayya, Venkateswarlu, and Ramana, gathered at the Madelayya Swamy temple to offer prayers and voice their expectations for a brighter future.