Chamarajanagar, April 21 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the Congress party has always supported women’s reservation, and that it was the Congress government that implemented it in local bodies.​

He was speaking after participating in the laying of the foundation stone and the inauguration of various development works in Gundlupet taluk of Chamarajanagar district on Tuesday.​

He said the Bharatiya Janata Party is falsely claiming that the Congress opposed the Women’s Reservation Bill. ​

“The Congress has never opposed women’s reservation. It was the Congress government that implemented reservations for women in local bodies,” he said. ​

He also recalled that the Bharatiya Janata Party had opposed the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments in the past.​

Referring to Prime Minister PM Modi’s remarks that those opposing women’s reservation would not be forgiven, Siddaramaiah said the Women’s Reservation Act was introduced in 2023, and Congress had welcomed it. ​

He said, however, that it was the Bharatiya Janata Party that stated the reservation cannot be implemented until 2028.​

“The Congress has always supported women’s reservation. Women constitute nearly half the population, and it is essential that they receive fair representation,” he said.​

The Chief Minister clarified that Congress has opposed the delimitation exercise proposed alongside the Women’s Reservation Act, not the reservation itself. ​

He pointed out that women already have 50 per cent representation in gram panchayats, taluk panchayats, zilla panchayats, municipalities, and corporations, crediting Congress governments for this.​

He said the Bharatiya Janata Party had opposed the state’s guarantee schemes but is now adopting similar schemes in other states. ​

He said PM Modi had criticised Karnataka, saying it would go bankrupt if guarantees were implemented, adding that the development works in Gundlupet stand as proof that development is being achieved alongside guarantees.​

The Chief Minister said that development works worth Rs 523 crore have been launched in Gundlupet, including a Rs 475 crore project to fill 110 lakes. He noted that Gundlupet has been identified as the most backward taluk as per the Nanjundappa report and has therefore been given special priority. ​

He added that the efforts of local MLA Ganesh Prasad made these projects possible and appreciated his commitment to the constituency’s development.​

Siddaramaiah said that the government has been steering the state towards development over the past three years, but opposition parties are spreading misinformation for political reasons. He urged people to understand the truth behind such claims.​

Siddaramaiah said that in the last three years, Rs 1.6 lakh crore has been spent under Scheduled Castes Sub Plan/Tribal Sub Plan schemes for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, compared to Rs 1.1 lakh crore spent during the Bharatiya Janata Party’s four-year rule.​

He emphasised that the government is committed to inclusive development, working for the welfare of Dalits, minorities, women, backward classes, and the poor across all communities. ​

“Congress has always stood for the poor, minorities, and Dalits, and believes in inclusive growth,” he said, while accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of dividing society along caste and religious lines.​

–IANS

mka/dan