Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday termed the state government's decision to set up a three-member high-level panel to look into demands by various communities for revising the existing reservation as an attempt to buy time and mislead people for political gains.
"Karnataka CM's decision to constitute a high-level three-member committee, to study the reservation demands are nothing but an attempt to buy time and mislead people for political gains," Siddaramaiah, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, said in a statement.
“If Yediyurappa has honest intent to permanently resolve the reservation demands, he should immediately release and implement the completed Social and Economic Census report,” the senior Congress leader said.
Further stating that the demand to change the reservation category for various castes can be permanently resolved only by increasing the total reservation limit, he said that the Chief Minister should place this demand immediately before the Union government.
“The ongoing reservation issue is the result of Karnataka BJP and RSS' cruel political game,” Siddaramaiah alleged, adding that people of the state will teach BJP a lesson.
The Cabinet headed by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday had decided to constitute the committee headed by a retired High Court judge to look into demands by various communities in the state for revising the existing reservation and advise the government. The three-member committee will include a retired administrator and a social scientist as well.
Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai was quoted by TNIE as saying that the CM has powers to make appointments and set a time frame to submit their recommendations.
While the Panchamasali Lingayat community demanded reservation under the ‘2A’ category under Other Backward Classes (OBCs), the Veerashaiva-Lingayats and Vokkaligas have sought to be included in the Union government’s OBC list. The Kuruba community has sought inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes category and a study is underway to determine if their demands are valid. The Valmiki community has sought an increase in quota and a report by Justice Nagamohan Das has been submitted pertaining to the issue.