6 days ago
Clear stand on internal reservation by Aug 16: BJP
Bengaluru: The 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.
"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.
