Yogesh K Porwar
“Internal reservation implemented only to silence the demand for a Dalit CM.
New Delhi:Former Chief Minister and MP Basavaraj Bommai alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah,in order to save his political chair and to silence the growing demand for a Dalit CM,succumbed to the pressure from dominant SC communities and said Siddaramaiah rejected Justice Nagamohan Das’s report and the Supreme Court’s directions,and on the pretext of technical reasons,committed injustice to the deprived SC communities.
Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday,he said Dr.B.R.Ambedkar had clearly stated in the Constitution that reservation must be revised from time to time based on population.
In Karnataka,the SC list began with just six castes,but today there are 101 castes included by successive Congress governments.Yet,they never increased reservation accordingly.This is a great betrayal. Whenever new castes were added,if the quota had been increased proportionately, justice would have been done. But they were added only for political reasons.
The former CM said after 75 years of Independence, when he was the CM,as per Justice Nagamohan Das Committee’s report,he increased the SC quota from 15 per cent to 17 per cent and the ST quota from 3 per cent to 7 per cent.
Because of this,Siddaramaiah was now able to provide internal reservation.Both the SC communities and CM Siddaramaiah must acknowledge this.
Even when he was CM earlier, there was pressure to implement internal reservation— why didn’t he do it then?
The MP said the issue of internal reservation had collapsed in the Supreme Court,but the BJP government at the Centre filed an affidavit there and ensured that states got the authority to provide internal reservation.
The credit goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stand and to the increase in reservation done by us.” I thank PM Modi on behalf of SC/ST communities of Karnataka.”
Bommai alleged that the state government has sidelined the caste classification recommended by Justice Nagamohan Das Committee and mandated by the Supreme Court.By doing so, the state government has violated the Supreme Court order.
If anyone challenges this in court, it will once again result in injustice to the communities.In his report, Justice Nagamohan Das had made it very clear that only four or five castes were enjoying all benefits while many communities were left behind.But this government is trampling upon those deprived communities.
Because of this internal reservation implemented by the state government, Sweepers, Adi Karnataka,Adi Dravida and Alemari communities will not get even one percent of reservation.
Adi Karnataka and Adi Dravida are concentrated in Mysuru region; they are the most marginalized.CM Siddaramaiah has wronged them.
He said just to protect his political position, Siddaramaiah bowed to the pressure of dominant SC castes,rejected Justice Nagamohan Das’s report and the Supreme Court order, and divided the communities into three groups on flimsy technical grounds.
The Centre had asked for classification as per Nagamohan Das report.But if 2% quota was not given to the dominant SC castes,they were threatening him to vacate the chair.
Hence,to silence the cry for a Dalit CM,he has committed injustice to the weaker communities.What kind of social justice is this?.
Our law is already in force”l
The former CM pointed out that Siddaramaiah has assured that corrections will be made during the next census by the Centre.But the internal reservation law that the BJP government had enacted is already in force.
Based on this,hundreds of SC students have already secured additional engineering and medical seats.What he did was passed with legislative approval and implemented.
Siddaramaiah had said constitutional amendment was required,but we had maintained that it was not necessary.He too had agreed with their stand.Now he must rectify the injustice in distribution.
He demanded that the present government implement the internal reservation without delay.
They have said that without internal reservation, no recruitment or promotion will be made.Then let them implement it now.
Justice Nagamohan Das’s report clearly states that Adi Karnataka,Adi Dravida, Adi Andhra and Sweepers are at the lowest rung.Either implement the report or enforce what our government had enacted.
The state government still has an opportunity to set this right.
MPs Govind Karjol and Captain Brijesh Chowta were also present at all the press meet.
