Bengaluru
Leaders from the dominant the Vokkaliga neighborhood have set a January 23 deadline for a rise in reservation for jobs and schooling from 4% to 12%, the Bharatiya Janata Celebration-led authorities within the state below strain with meeting elections due subsequent yr.
On Sunday, prime non secular and political leaders met below the aegis of the State Vokkaligara Sangha the place they handed out a memorandum to the federal government by way of income minister R Ashoka.
Pontiffs of all Vokkaliga mutts, together with Nirmalanandanatha Swami of Adichunchanagiri Mutt, Nanjavadhoota Swami of Spatikapuri Mutt, and Chandrashekharanatha Swami of Vishva Vokkaliga Mahasmsthana Mutt, took half within the assembly.
Vokkaliga politicians, together with Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar, former chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda, and BJP ministers R Ashoka and Okay Sudhakar, had been current on the assembly.
Nanjavadhoota Swami of Spatikapuri Mutt stated the Vokkaliga neighborhood has waited sufficient and they’d until January 23 for the federal government to reply to the memorandum. He additionally threatened to launch a protest if their calls for are usually not met. Swami Nirmalananda of Adichunchanagiri Mutt additionally stated the hike in reservation is required and that they’ve mentioned it and given a deadline to the federal government.
Vokkaligas are a dominant neighborhood within the state and are estimated to be the second largest, after Lingayats, comprising 16% of the state’s inhabitants.
The ruling BJP final month had issued an ordinance to reinforce the reservation of STs from 3 to 7% and the SCs from 15% to 17% apart from asserting a slew of welfare measures. This has already taken the reservation tally to 56%, thus crossing the 50% cap on the quota mounted by the Supreme Courtroom.
BJP chief Sadananda Gowda stated the occasion and the neighborhood leaders ought to pursue the demand and be part of the motion. Shivakumar, the Congress’ Vokkaliga face, stated that they weren’t asking something for his or her private advantages and had been solely demanding their proper on the premise of the inhabitants. “If there’s no possibility, we’ve to struggle for it,” Shivakumar stated.
The leaders stated they may determine on the subsequent plan of action if the state authorities fails to take a choice on the difficulty earlier than the deadline.
The BJP has already breached the reservation cap within the state. In the meantime, Panchamasalis, a Lingayat sub-sect, is looking for 2A standing in OBC reservation class. Kurubas are additionally demanding a ST class from the OBC cluster.