BENGALURU: BJP MLC and prominent Scheduled Tribes leader N Ravi Kumar has attacked the Congress government, alleging deliberate obstruction in issuing Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates to Talawar, an ST community in Kalaburagi and Yadgir districts.
Addressing the media at the BJP state office, Ravi Kumar claimed that although the Talawar community was granted ST status, eligible members in these two districts of Kalyana Karnataka region are still being denied certificates.
He named a Congress minister for allegedly creating hurdles and blocking the process. “The Talawar community has to be given ST certificates. They have not received it in only the districts of Kalaburagi and Yadgir,” Kumar said. He warned that if the certificates are not issued immediately, the community would be forced to launch an aggressive protest.
The MLC revealed that when he contacted administrative authorities, they informed him that around 28,000 ST certificates had already been issued and that only eligible applicants would receive them.
However, he maintained that genuine beneficiaries in the two districts continue to be deprived of their rights. Ravi Kumar demanded the immediate withdrawal of names of community members booked in FIRs for unlawful assembly and protest, following a lathi charge during an agitation over the past few days. “If all these demands are not met, we will protest,” he warned.
He pointed out that many youth from the community have been unable to secure government jobs or gain college admissions due to the lack of ST certificates.