BENGALURU: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday termed the hike in reservation for SCs and STs as historic as no government in the past had done this.
Talking to reporters before the launch of Jan Sankalp yatra here, he said, “The demand to hike reservation has been pending for the last 50 years and the Congress party, while in power, did not do anything. The current BJP government has done this by taking all parties into confidence. But now, the Congress is getting scared because the votes of SC and ST communities will go to the BJP.”
The Bommai Cabinet on Saturday unanimously agreed to hike reservation for Scheduled Castes from 15 per cent to 17 per cent and for Scheduled Tribes from 3 per cent to 7 per cent in the state. The state government will issue a gazette notification in this regard soon.
The Chief Minister said the people’s aspiration has increased due to the awareness of education and employment.
“No one must talk negatively on hiking the quota for SCs/STs as these communities had suffered a lot in the last 50-60 years due to denial of justice. Those who speak against it are anti-SC/ST. Several communities have put forth demands. While some have sought inclusion of their community in SC category, others in 3B, 2A and Backward Classes. The people’s aspiration has increased due to the awareness of education and employment. All their demands will be studied as per recommendations of law commissions and needful action will be taken,” he said.
Bommai said the Jan Sankalp Yatra will continue till December, 2022. “In the first phase, it will be held in over 50 Assembly constituencies and through the rally, the people will be told about the schemes launched by the state government, benefits to lakhs of people through the policies and programmes of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and the future policies keeping in view the interest of all the communities and ways to take benefits of the same. The response to the BJP yatra is an indication of the party coming back to power in the state with a thumping majority next year,” he added.
Ruling out any connection between the Bharath Jodo yatra of Congress and the Jan Sankalp Yatra of BJP, the CM said he did not know what they will do in that yatra adding that the BJP’s Sankalp Yatra is aimed at people’s contact.
Reacting to Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D K Shivakumar’s statement that the BJP had undertaken the Jan Sankalp Yatra due to fear of losing the 2023 Assembly election, Bommai retorted saying, “Has Congress undertaken Bharath Jodo Yatra due to fear of losing the next year’s Assembly polls? Rahul Gandhi has been doing this yatra fearing his party losing its existence.”
He promised to take up the issue of setting up AIIMS in Raichur with the Union government during his visit to New Delhi next week. “We will bring AIIMS to Raichur at any cost”, he added. (ANI)