BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that the BJP was misleading people about internal reservation.
“In fact, it is the Congress government that has actually taken steps to bring internal reservation... the BJP never did anything in this regard,” Shivakumar said.
Shivakumar, who is also KPCC president, was addressing Congress workers on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti at the KPCC office in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
Shivakumar said that the Congress had promised a 6-6-5 ratio of benefits, but the court restricted it to 15%. “Still, all oppressed communities are covered under this system. Fighting over small percentage differences is unnecessary,” he said, adding that they have continued providing reservations beyond the initial 10-year limit, benefiting millions.
Further, Shivakumar said that reservation is a Congress programme and that it is aimed at ensuring dignity and self-respect. He also said that earlier, the Union Government allocated Rs 80,000 crore for the development of Scheduled Castes, while the Karnataka Congress government has alone provided Rs 29,000 crore under STP and TSP Acts. “However, the BJP continues to find fault. Congress is the only party that genuinely thinks about the marginalised communities,” he said.
On the women reservation Bill, Shivakumar said that it is the Congress that has provided 50% reservation for women and that is implemented in the Gram Panchayat Act.
“Sonia Gandhi had introduced the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha, enabling women to contest local elections and emerge as leaders,” he said.
Shivakumar also stated that history must not be forgotten, as those who forget history cannot create it. He compared Dr BR Ambedkar to Mahatma Gandhi, noting that just as Gandhi’s statues are seen across the country, Ambedkar, too, is honoured in divine form with statues in many places. Dr Ambedkar do not belong to any single caste or community but to the entire nation,’’ he said.