MYSURU: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah has demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi exhibit political will and order a nationwide caste-based socio-economic survey to set right the mess created owing to different communities seeking reservation or enhancement in quota.
The former chief minister told reporters here on Sunday, that such a survey was the only scientific benchmark to resolve the issue as courts, in the past, have asked for "authentic data to justify the demand for reservation".
The CLP leader said the ruling BJP had no political conviction and was only concerned about winning elections, and not committed to providing social justice to all. Asked about the Supreme Court seeking views on reservation from the State before March 23, Siddaramaiah said the State Government should discuss the matter with Constitutional experts before submitting a report to the apex court.
He said the Constitutional Bench hearing the matter should relax the limit on reservation as the 1992 Indra Sawhney judgment had capped reservations at 50 per cent.
He accused former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy of intentionally not making the caste census data public. "If it was made public, the then government would have been forced to accept the recommendations," he said.
Siddaramaiah also lashed out at the Yediyurappa government for sanctioning Rs 500 crore each for dominant communities, and ignoring SCs/STs and backward classes. "What moral right do they have to speak about social justice?" he thundered.
Asked about the SIT probe into the CD row, he said such cases have tarnished the image of those in public life in the past. KPCC president DK Shivakumar himself has said he has been unnecessarily targeted in the issue, he added.
'No alliance with JDS'
Asked about JDS claiming support of Congress in the Mysuru Milk Union (MyMUL) polls, he said, "I am not in support of this. There is no alliance between Congress and JDS. In a few cases, it depends on local sentiments as society elections are not held on party symbols. As far as I am concerned, there is no alliance with JDS - now or in future."