Basavaraj Bommai says Congress will cancel internal reservation among SCs, if it were voted to power

Terming the redistribution of reservation among the Scheduled Castes (SCs) as a monumental decision in the direction of achieving social justice, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has said that Congress, if it were voted to power, will roll back the historical move.

Terming the redistribution of reservation among the Scheduled Castes (SCs) as a monumental decision in the direction of achieving social justice, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has said that Congress, if it were voted to power, will roll back the historical move.

“Some had cautioned me that touching the issue of internal reservation was as dangerous as touching a beehive. I touched it and got bitten by the honeybees to give honey to the people. If the Congress is voted to power, it will undo the move. Each one of your votes to the Congress will only help reverse the decision. I appeal to you to thoroughly think before exercising your vote,” Mr. Bommai told a public meeting in Afzalpur on Thursday.

The Chief Minister was in the town to take part in the BJP’s election rally organised by party candidate Malikayya Guttedar.

Stating that the Congress has always been against the redistribution of reservation among communities within the Scheduled Castes, Mr. Bommai demanded that the grand old party clarify its stand on the issue.

“What is the stand of the Congress with regard to internal reservation among SCs? Why did All India Congress Committee president Mllikarjun Kharge remain silent on the issue? As a matter of fact, the Congress has never been for social justice. Siddaramaiah had, when he was Chief Minster, released only ₹300 core to Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board. In contrast, we announced ₹3,000 crore and released the entire amount,” he said.

“The Congress did not fill a single vacancy whereas we filled 14,000 teacher posts. Despite being in power for so many years, the Congress supplied piped water to only 25 lakh households as compared to 40 lakh pipe connections that we gave in just three years,” Mr. Bommai said.

Malikayya Guttedar, party candidate in Afzalpur Constituency, blamed his political opponents for provoking his younger brother Nitin Guttedar against him.