BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has assured the Valmiki community that strict action will be taken against those who seek, give and validate fake ST certificates.
The CM said that he will stand for social justice and is committed to protecting the welfare of the Valmiki community. He was speaking to a delegation of ministers and MLAs who met him under the leadership of Sri Prasannananda Swamiji, president of Valmiki Peetha, Rajanahalli, Harihar taluk, in Davangere district, on Wednesday.
“The previous government had made a hasty decision on the reservation and created confusion. The 4 per cent reservation for Muslims has been cancelled and 2 per cent reservation has been given to Vokkaligas and Lingayats each. Category 2C, 2D has also been created and there is confusion in this regard”, the Chief Minister said.
Siddaramaiah also assured to hold a separate meeting with the Advocate General, the Law Department and the minister concerned after the budget session to clear the confusion on the issue of reservation. The CM opined that since the decision is not constitutional, there is a need for a lengthy discussion. There will be no solution if the ceiling on the reservation is not relaxed, he said.
Speaking about the issuance of fake Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe certificates, the CM said that action should be taken by the Civil Rights Enforcement (CRE) Cell. There is a demand that the Koli, Kabbaliga and Talawar communities of Raichur and Vijayapura should be included in the ST category, he noted.
“The Koli community claims itself to be Talawars. These confusions should also be resolved. Only Talawars from the Nayak community are included in the ST list. This is a very sensitive issue and will be discussed with constitutional and legal experts,” the CM said. “A secretary will be appointed to the separate directorate established for the Scheduled Tribes”, he added.
The Chief Minister said that action will be taken on the establishment of the Tribal Advisory Council if a report is submitted. “Our government will recommend to the Centre to include reservation in Article 9 of the Constitution. But before that, there is a need to remove all the confusion created by the BJP government”, he said.
Cooperation Minister Rajanna, Public Works Minister Satish Jarakiholi and 14 MLAs, leaders and representatives of the Valmiki community were present during the meeting. (ANI)