The Hindu Non secular and Charitable Endowment Division has withdrawn a young that supplied ‘reservation’ for individuals from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes communities to handle footwear stands at two temples in Bengaluru following condemnation from Dalit teams.
The division withdrew the tender citing “technical causes”. The State SC/ST Fee has sought a report from officers over the difficulty.
Whereas the tender invited different works as effectively — provide of puja materials, tender coconut, amongst others — solely the job to handle footwear stands was stored ‘reserved’ for candidates from SC/ST classes.
Dated October 31, the tender was issued on November 2, and withdrawn the identical day.
The workplace of the Chief Govt Officer of the division had floated the tender for varied shops at Doddaganapathi group of temples at Basavangudi space of Bengaluru. It consists of Sri Doddaganapathi temple, Sri Doddabasavanna temple, and Sri Karanji Anjaneya temple.
State SC/ST Fee member Venkatesh Dodderi stated that the tender was withdrawn quickly after it was delivered to the Fee’s discover. “It was floated based mostly on a round issued by the (then) Congress authorities in 2016, which mandated giving reservation for SC/ST communities in managing footwear stands,” Dodderi stated.
The 2016 round had created reservation — 20% for SCs and 5% for STs — in all shops close to temple complexes, together with puja materials shops and others. It later prolonged reservation even for footwear stands.
Criticising the tender issued by the BJP authorities, Congress MLA Priyank Kharge stated it exhibits that the federal government is “working towards untouchability”. He stated, “By proscribing Dalits to protect slippers, the BJP authorities is following Manusmriti.”
In a bid to hit again, the state BJP tweeted a replica of the 2016 round, contending that the then Congress authorities had restricted Dalits to protect slippers stored exterior temples. “BJP has solely withdrawn the order,” the ruling celebration tweeted.