Karnataka BJP asks Cong govt to clear its stand on internal reservation by Aug 16; warns of agitation

Bengaluru, Aug 12 The Karnataka BJP has urged the Congress-led state government on Tuesday to make its stand clear on the issue of internal reservation by August 16 and warned of a large scale protest if the government fails to reciprocate.

Former Union Minister and veteran BJP leader A. Narayanaswamy said: "The Congress-led government in Karnataka must announce a clear decision on internal reservation by August 16. If it fails to do so, we will launch a non-cooperation movement against it after August 16."

He was speaking to the media at a workshop organised by the Karnataka Madiga Organisations' Federation at Sir Puttanna Chetty Town Hall in Bengaluru regarding the implementation of the Justice Nagamohan Das report.

Narayanaswamy said that going by the overall findings of the reports, reservation for Madigas should be increased from six to seven or eight per cent.

He stressed that the state government should not stop at just providing reservation but should also announce special schemes for the community.

"In the Common Entrance Test results, Madigas have qualified in very small numbers. Out of 2,500 seats available in state universities, only 600 are taken by students from our community. This reflects our educational condition," he said.

He noted that the report recommends internal reservation based on population, and within that population there are 36.69 lakh Madigas.

"If another related community is included, the number goes up to 41 lakh. This fact should not be overlooked," he said in response to a query.

He also noted that the Supreme Court has said that reservation should be granted based on backwardness.

"Madigas do not have the mindset to join hostels, and educational progress has not been achieved. If they are not part of the mainstream, it is the responsibility of politicians, MLAs, and Ministers to raise this issue in the Assembly in the interest of social justice," he demanded.

"Legislators elected for the purpose of social reform should speak up about social justice in the Assembly; otherwise, he asked, for whose benefit is their legislative presence?" Narayanaswamy asked.

"If the Cabinet is committed to social justice, it should make an announcement on internal reservation by August 16. Otherwise, no further meetings will be held and agitation will be launched," he declared.

State BJP President and MLA, B.Y. Vijayendra, while addressing a workshop regarding the implementation of the Justice Nagamohan Das report, said that ensuring justice to the last man in the society was the vision of Deendayal Upadhyaya's Antyodaya philosophy.

"Economic, social, and educational empowerment is essential. With determination to secure justice for their children and bring them to the forefront of society, the community has been engaged in continuous struggle for the past 30 years."

BJP MP Govind Karjol said the state government must implement either the Justice Nagamohan Das report or the Madhuswamy report, but the implementation should be immediate.

He warned the state government that if it delays under some pretext, people would take to the streets.

"If promises are broken, it will become difficult for the representatives of the state government to move around freely, and even running the administration from Vidhana Soudha will be challenging," he cautioned.

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