Bengaluru, Aug 19 (IANS) The Karnataka BJP has appealed to the Siddaramaiah government to ensure justice for all 101 castes, which come under the Scheduled Castes category.

The appeal comes as the Congress-led government will be holding a special cabinet meeting to discuss the report on the “Internal Reservation” provided by the Justice (Retired) H.N. Nagamohan Das Commission.

Speaking to the media at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Tuesday, BJP state president and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra urged the Chief Minister to ensure that no injustice is done to any caste while implementing internal reservation among the Scheduled Castes (SCs), who are divided into 101 castes.

He said to CM Siddaramaiah, “You are the Chief Minister of the state. You must take a firm decision regarding internal reservation. There are 101 castes within the SC community, and the decision must ensure that none of them face injustice. The decision you take should not lead to other castes or SC groups taking to the streets in protest tomorrow. All aspects must be carefully reviewed, and an appropriate decision should be taken by the Chief Minister.”

Answering a question, Vijayendra said, “All the confusion regarding the internal reservation is due to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. It is his duty to put an end to these confusions and problems. Our SC community expects him to handle this matter in the right way.”

He criticised the Congress-led government, stating, “Since Siddaramaiah-led Congress came to power in the state, no decision has been taken regarding internal reservation. The government is caught in confusion, and we have seen this.”

Vijayendra recalled, “When the BJP government under Basavaraj Bommai was in power, SC reservation was raised from 15 per cent to 17 per cent, and ST reservation from 3 per cent to 7 per cent. At that time, Siddaramaiah, who was the Opposition leader, along with his associates, spread misinformation saying it had not been implemented and accused the BJP of making mere speeches. The BJP had implemented the Nagamohan Das Commission report. Now Siddaramaiah has convened a special cabinet meeting, but in reality, he is only trying to do what the BJP had already done.”

Replying to a question on the Dharmasthala case, Vijayendra said, “Who is behind the continuous misinformation campaign against Dharmasthala? Whose conspiracy is this? Such a plot cannot remain secret for long.”

He added, “Regarding the Dharmasthala issue, misinformation has been spread and attempts have been made to hurt religious sentiments. If the state government has even the slightest faith in Dharmasthala and Lord Manjunatheshwara, it must investigate and expose the forces behind this.”

Vijayendra questioned, “Earlier, in Mysuru, one of our Hindu activists was arrested within 24 hours for a social media post about another religion. A community stormed a police station and even set it on fire. In Tumakuru, a Hindu woman activist was arrested for a social media post. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has now claimed that he has faith in Dharmasthala. But why did the Chief Minister, the Dy CM, and the Home Minister fail to stop the misinformation campaign when it was happening?”

“Why have FIRs not yet been filed against the organisations indulging in spreading false propaganda? Why has the state government not responded immediately when Hindu religious sentiments were hurt? The government must answer these questions,” he demanded.

–IANS

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