Bommai accuses Siddaramaiah of doing nothing for development of OBCs

KALABURAGI

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday began its community-based conventions with the OBC Virat Samavesha in Kalaburagi, by accusing Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah of doing only lip service to the welfare of the backward communities.

Leading the attack on Mr. Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai alleged that he did nothing for the development of OBCs though he talked volumes about social justice.

“You [Siddaramaiah] cannot mislead everybody all the time. People can understand. You could not make anybody from your own community, the Kurubas, a Minister in your Cabinet. Also, it was BJP leader and former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa who developed Kaginele, the holy place for Kurubas,” Mr. Bommai said, while addressing a well-attended convention.

The convention was attended by top party brass, including Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, State unit president Nalin Kumar Kateel, former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, former Minister K.S. Eshwarappa, Union Ministers Prahlad Joshi and Bhagawanth Khuba, among others.

Mr. Bommai, whose government recently increased reservation for SC/STs, questioned Mr. Siddaramaiah as to why he did not do the same thing when he was in power.

“Mr. Siddaramaiah often says that he had a major role in the increase of reservation to SCs and STs. One must know that the Justice Nagamohan Das panel, which recommended an increase in reservation to SCs and STs, was constituted by the coalition government and not the Congress government. Why did Mr. Siddaramaiah do the same thing when he was in power? BJP took this revolutionary decision for the benefit of the SCs and STs,” Mr. Bommai said.

Listing his government’s initiatives for the development of backward communities in the State, Mr. Bommai said that he had allocated ₹354 crore for the welfare of Kuruba community members.