Bengaluru, Feb 27 (IANS) Criticising the state government, former Union Minister and senior BJP leader A. Narayanaswamy said on Friday that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had betrayed the Madiga community, which had struggled for 35 years for internal reservation.
He alleged that not only the Madiga community but Dalits across the state had been deceived, and accused the government of misleading 101 castes on the issue of internal reservation.
He also alleged that job-aspirant youth had been misled by the government.
He said Tamil Nadu has provided 69 per cent reservation by including it under Article 9 and has strongly supported oppressed communities.
He accused the Karnataka Congress-led government of lacking both interest and intent in effectively arguing the case for internal reservation in the High Court and Supreme Court.
He questioned the government over spending public money on surveys and commission reports and asked whose interests such politics were serving.
Narayanaswamy criticised the state government for failing to discuss internal reservation even one year after the Supreme Court verdict.
He said the government had rejected the reports of Justice Sadashiva, Madhuswamy, and Justice Nagamohan Das, creating confusion over internal reservation. He noted that although a bill was passed in the Assembly and sent to the Governor, the issue remains unresolved.
He demanded that the Chief Minister, Dalit ministers, and 54 MLAs elected from Scheduled Caste reserved constituencies resign if they truly have commitment and social concern towards Dalits.
He said there are 54 MLAs from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and although there has been significant progress in education, these legislators have remained silent.
He questioned why Dalit ministers are not raising their voice in cabinet meetings and asked why they continue to hold ministerial positions if they are not speaking up.
He also announced that protests would be launched and urged the Chief Minister to resign.
He said job aspirants had protested as around 2.8 lakh government posts remain vacant in the state. He alleged that the state government, in its recent cabinet meeting, decided to revert to the old reservation system to mislead Dalits and protesting youth.
He said that if the government was truly committed to social justice, it could legally exceed the 50 per cent reservation limit, as stated in the Indra Sawhney case.
He cited examples of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, where reservation levels of 58 per cent and 57 per cent, respectively, were implemented, and said the Karnataka government had failed to present strong arguments in court.
He said the Madiga community and its sub-castes, which have been among the most oppressed for decades, had been fighting for internal reservation, and recalled that the Congress had promised to implement internal reservation if voted to power.
He accused the Chief Minister of misleading the people by repeatedly portraying himself as a champion of social justice.
He also referred to the Supreme Court’s Constitution Bench judgment of August 1, 2024, which empowered governments to provide internal reservation and special measures for socially and economically disadvantaged communities, stating that such provisions are in line with the Constitution drafted by B.R. Ambedkar.
–IANS
mka/dan