Bommai hiked quota for SCs/STs to uphold social justice: Seer

Haveri : No community has got social justice from the Congress party, but it has been playing politics while giving internal reservation for the scheduled caste, said former chief minister and Gadag-Haveri Lok Sabha constituency BJP candidate Basavaraj Bommai.

Speaking at the awareness meeting of Dalit community leaders here on Monday, he said since independence, the Congress party has been using Dalit community as it’s vote bank and doing politics without giving them internal reservation. Despite demand for several years for the hike in quota, the Congress party neglected it.

During the previous BJP government, the reservation for the SCa was hiked from 15 per to 17 per cent and for the STs from three per cent to seven percent. “As MP, I will strive hard to get justice for the communities in Lok sabha”.

Sri Basavamurthy Swamiji of Maadara Chennaiah Gurupeeta said the demand for internal reservation has been there for many years and there was pro and anti opinions about it. But without bothering about it, Basavaraj Bommai took a bold decision to ensure social justice for the Dalit community. Apart from this, he took a historic decision to hike reservation for the SCs/STs. The Dalit officials had been given top posts in the BJP regime. A piece of land has been donated to the Maadara Chennaiah Mutt in Bengaluru. Hence, the community must support Basavaraj Bommai and send him to Lok Sabha without any hesitation.

In the ongoing Lok Sabha election, he would inform about the achievements of his government along with that of the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the people, said former chief minister and Gadag-Haveri Lok Sabha constituency BJP candidate Basavaraj Bommai.

After filing nomination papers on Monday, he said two sets of the nomination papers were filed today since it was very auspicious day. Another set of nomination papers would be filed on April 19 in a big procession in which former CM B.S.Yediyurappa, Byrati Basavaraj and other leaders would participate. “ I will win by a big margin”, he added.

He said the Congress leaders say that they would come to power in the Centre but they must win 272 seats. They were unable to contest even in number of seats but they talk unnecessarily.

On achievements in irrigation sector, Bommai said irrigating one lakh acres under the Upper Tunga scheme was not ordinary as it would irrigate Hangal, Hirekerur and Ranebennur taluks. They had said that this was impossible but the BJP government had done it. Eight lift irrigation schemes had been done apart from Shiggaon . Giving a strong rebuttal to the ruling party allegation that the BJP candidates were seeking the votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said this was Lok Sabha election and the name of Modi must be mentioned. The achievements of the previous BJP government would also be told to people with that of the Modi government. On Modi’s campaign, Bommai said the PM Modi would tour in North Karnataka region on April 25 or 26 and one cluster has been made for two or three Lok Sabha constituencies. Asked about Prakash Rai’s comments on Modi, the former CM sought to know when Rai became the face reader? Modi has been a world leader but Rai has his own way of looking things.