Bengaluru, May 13 Senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, R. Ashoka, on Wednesday accused the Congress government in Karnataka of doing “great injustice” to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community by 'reducing reservation percentages and betraying' Dalit communities.
Speaking to reporters at the BJP state office 'Jagannath Bhavan' in Bengaluru, Ashoka said the previous BJP government had increased Scheduled Caste (SC) reservation from 15 per cent to 17 per cent and Scheduled Tribe (ST) reservation from 3 per cent to 7 per cent.
“We fulfilled the long-pending and justified demand of the ST community. The reservation increase was based on the Madhuswamy report and the Sadashiva Commission recommendations. It was the result of nearly 30 years of struggle,” he said.
Ashoka alleged that the Congress government’s actions had caused major injustice to the ST community and questioned whether the Siddaramaiah-led government was formed only to reduce reservation benefits.
“Is this your pro-Dalit policy? When the Congress-led UPA government under Manmohan Singh was in power for 10 years, why was the reservation percentage not increased then?” he asked.
He further claimed that the ST reservation percentage had effectively been brought down from 7 per cent to 3 per cent, forcing the community to continue its struggle for rights.
“The Congress government has insulted ST communities by reducing reservation quotas. They have stabbed Dalits in the back. This reflects their double standards,” Ashoka alleged.
Demanding immediate corrective measures, he warned that if the issue was not resolved, the community's agitation could intensify into a massive movement against the state government.
“We will also support their struggle,” he added.
BJP State Vice-President Raju Gowda Nayak accused the Congress government of failing to properly defend the matter in court. “The government did not provide adequate information before the court, did not appoint competent lawyers, and advocates failed to appear effectively. As a result, a stay order was issued,” he alleged, while questioning why the government had failed to get the stay vacated.
Addressing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Raju Gowda Nayak asked, “Is it right to mislead Dalits?”
He also cited the example of Chhattisgarh, where, according to him, STs receive 32 per cent reservation, SCs 10 per cent, and OBCs 16 per cent, taking the total reservation to 58 per cent.
“If states like Chhattisgarh can provide reservations beyond 50 per cent based on population, why can't Karnataka do the same?” he questioned.
Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, BJP MLC N. Ravikumar, BJP State Vice-President Raju Gowda Nayak, and ST Morcha State Vice-President Srinivasadas Kariyappa were present at the press conference.
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