Karnataka: Siddaramaiah backs internal reservation, says social justice fight will continue

Bengaluru, Aug 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Congress Working Committee (CWC) Member, Siddaramaiah, on Tuesday reiterated his support for internal reservation and said he would continue to fight for social justice irrespective of whether he held office or not.

Speaking after inaugurating a seminar on internal reservation organised by the Internal Reservation Struggle Committee for Social Justice, Siddaramaiah said he had never compromised on the issues of reservation and social justice and would not do so in the future either.

“I am no longer the head of the government and I do not have power. But I am a person who supports internal reservation, the reservation system and social justice. I have never compromised on this issue and I will not compromise in the future,” he said.

He said reservation was necessary for communities that had suffered discrimination and been denied opportunities because of the caste system.

“We are not fools; we are people who were denied opportunities. We did not get an opportunity to demonstrate our intelligence. The reservation system is providing that opportunity,” Siddaramaiah said.

He said social and economic inequality would not disappear unless equal opportunities were ensured for everyone.

“From the time I became old enough to understand society, I have been fighting for social justice. I will continue to fight in the future as well,” he said.

Recalling Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s views on equality, Siddaramaiah said political equality had been achieved to an extent through universal voting rights, but social and economic equality remained elusive.

He said Ambedkar had warned that unless social and economic inequalities were addressed, they could eventually threaten the foundations of democracy.

Siddaramaiah also invoked the teachings of Basavanna, recalling the 12th-century social reformer’s call for a society in which people were not treated as outsiders but accepted as one’s own.

“Basavanna said this nearly 850 years ago, but even today it has not become a reality. This is the true picture of our society,” he said.

Siddaramaiah compared the persistence of the caste system to the dirt that repeatedly gathers in a well despite efforts to remove it.

Recalling his student days, he said that when he returned to his village during college holidays, his father would ask him to draw water from a well for cattle. The water would contain dirt and debris from birds nesting inside the well. Although he would clear the dirt, it would gather again when he returned later.

“However many reforms are made, the caste system has remained firmly entrenched. This is the same as the dirt returning to the middle of the well,” he said.

He said the caste system had been deliberately structured by vested interests and argued that the varna system should be dismantled.

Referring to socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia, Siddaramaiah said the Indian caste system had little social mobility and that economic, social, educational and political empowerment of marginalised communities was necessary to change the situation.

Siddaramaiah said the fight for reservation had to continue and urged activists not to allow differences among themselves to weaken the movement.

“The struggle for internal reservation has been going on for three decades. After the Supreme Court’s decision, the movement gained momentum across the country,” he said.

He recalled that during his tenure as Chief Minister, his government had constituted the Nagamohan Das Committee to examine the issue. The committee visited villages and interacted with communities before submitting its report.

“Based on the report, we divided the communities into five groups and distributed internal reservation,” he said.

He said the classification was subsequently revised into three groups under a 6:6:5 formula. However, the inclusion of nomadic communities along with the Bhovi and Banjara communities led to objections, followed by legal challenges in the High Court.

He said the government later considered an interim arrangement of 15 per cent, with the Cabinet agreeing to a 5:5:4.5 distribution, but differences and legal complications continued.

“Whatever the difficulties, internal reservation must be implemented,” Siddaramaiah said.

He said he would speak to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and the concerned ministers to resolve the issues surrounding internal reservation.

“The Chief Minister has said that he will listen to what I say. I will speak to him to resolve all the issues and implement internal reservation. Ultimately, the Cabinet will take a decision. I have confidence that they will listen to me,” he said.

Siddaramaiah said reservation should continue until social inequality in the country was eliminated and equal opportunities were available to all.

He recalled that his government had introduced the Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan legislation in 2013, linking development expenditure to the population of SC and ST communities.

He said allocations for the welfare of these communities, which stood at around Rs 8,000 crore before 2013, increased to more than Rs 15,000 crore after the legislation was enacted. The allocation under SCSP and TSP had now reached Rs 44,636 crore, he said.

Siddaramaiah also highlighted his government's decision to scrap Section 7D of the legislation and provide loans of up to Rs 10 crore through the Karnataka State Financial Corporation at an interest rate of four per cent.

He said his government had also introduced reservation in promotions after obtaining a report from a committee headed by then Chief Secretary Ratna Prabha. The decision was challenged in court but was upheld, he claimed.

Siddaramaiah urged members of oppressed communities to clearly identify those who stood with them and those who opposed their interests.

“I have said many times that you must identify who is on your side and who is against you,” he said.

He alleged that some people joined hands with forces opposed to reservation for personal interests.

“Standing with a party that opposes reservation and supporting its ideology—is that not selfishness?” he asked.

Siddaramaiah also criticised the BJP and questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not undertaken similar measures for social justice.

He referred to the opposition to the Constitution at the time of its adoption and alleged that organisations representing the “Manuvadi” ideology had opposed it.

Siddaramaiah said he would remain committed to the cause of social justice even after retiring from electoral politics.

“I will always be with you. Even if I retire from electoral politics, I will remain active in politics,” he said, attributing the decision partly to his age.

He urged internal reservation activists to set aside their differences and continue their struggle until the goal was achieved.

“There are people around you who are trying to create divisions among you. Be alert,” he cautioned.

Siddaramaiah assured the gathering that he would discuss the issue of internal reservation with Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and the ministers concerned and work towards resolving the outstanding issues.

Source: IANS