BENGALURU: After being slammed by people and various organisations, the state Endowment department withdrew its tender notification that specified reservations for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe community members to look after footwear at temples in Bengaluru.
Last month, the Endowment department called for tenders for works at Doddaganapathi Temple, Dodda Basavanna Temple and Karanji Anjaneya Swamy Temple in Basavanagudi in Bengaluru, including selling pooja items, picking up broken coconuts, selling tender coconuts, taking care of devotees’ footwear and other commercial activities. The notification mentioned the General category for all, except SC/ST reservations for those who take care of footwear outside temples.
Various individuals, activists, organisations and political leaders slammed the government and officials for issuing an ‘’insensitive’’ notification. An official told TNIE that ever since the notification was published in newspapers on October 31, they started getting hundreds of calls every day, demanding the withdrawal of the notification.
“On Thursday morning, it was withdrawn. We are yet to consider a fresh notification with changes,” the official said.
The notification also attracted political criticism, with the Congress accusing the government of insulting SCs. Many leaders, including former minister Priyank Kharge, charged the government with encouraging untouchability. The BJP hit back with circulars in 2015 and 2018, during Siddaramaiah’s tenure, reserving the job for SC/STs.