Bengaluru, April 14 (IANS) Former Chief Minister and MP, Basavaraj Bommai, has appealed to all political parties to set aside differences and support the Women’s Reservation Bill, which he said is a shared aspiration, while also claiming that anger is rising within minority communities against the Congress.

Speaking to the media in Bengaluru, Basavaraj Bommai urged all parties to come together in the interest of India’s democratic future — socially, economically, and educationally — and extend support to the Women’s Reservation Bill.

He said a special session of the Lok Sabha is scheduled soon and expressed happiness over Parliament taking up what he described as a historic and revolutionary discussion on women’s reservation and delimitation.

Recalling the efforts of B.R. Ambedkar, Bommai said that Ambedkar had introduced provisions for women through the Hindu Code Bill. He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi shares similar thinking, and noted that even former Congress president Sonia Gandhi had supported such a move.

Incidentally, the Congress-led UPA government introduced the Women’s Reservation Bill (108th Amendment Bill) in 2008, which was passed by the Rajya Sabha in 2010.

He emphasised that granting reservation to women is a shared aspiration and called on Opposition parties to back the Bill, describing it as a historic opportunity.

Responding to a question about cases being filed against students protesting for government jobs, Bommai said that protests demanding government employment have been ongoing for over a year and are growing in scale. He accused the Karnataka government of betraying youth, stating that earlier assurances by the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister to issue notifications within a month have not been fulfilled.

He alleged that the government is not allowing peaceful protests and termed it “anti-Constitutional.”

He further accused the administration of going against constitutional values and public interest, warning that while the government may suppress protests through police action now, it will have to pay a heavy price in the future.

On internal issues within the state Congress involving minority leaders, Bommai said the issue is not limited to leadership but reflects widespread dissatisfaction within minority communities themselves. He claimed that communities traditionally seen as Congress vote banks are becoming disillusioned.

He added that Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are also losing faith and may strongly oppose the Congress in the future.

Referring to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Bommai said that despite governing under the AHINDA banner, many communities now feel neglected.

Commenting on reports of Congress legislators gathering in Delhi, Bommai said it indicates that the Chief Minister has lost control over his ministers and MLAs. He noted that despite being an experienced leader, Siddaramaiah is facing dissent within his ranks, with legislators acting independently.

He further claimed that there is speculation that the Chief Minister himself may be behind some of these developments.

–IANS

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