Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday defended Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on his reservation remarks, saying that it is hypocritical of the BJP to protest against the LoP.
"It is hypocritical of BJP to protest against Rahul Gandhi's alleged anti-reservation remarks when they have consistently opposed reservations and attempted to change the Constitution itself," the Chief Minister said.
He added that the core purpose of reservations is to ensure equal access to education, employment, and opportunities for all and once that objective is achieved, there is no need for reservations.
"Not only Rahul Gandhi, I say the same thing. How does it become an anti-reservation statement," the Chief Minister said.
He added that the BJP - which has opposition to reservations ingrained in its blood - is neither wise enough nor patient enough to understand Rahul Gandhi's statement.
"B.R. Ambedkar included the policy of reservations in the Constitution to ensure equal opportunities in education, employment, and access for everyone. However, even after reservations, Dalits, minorities, and backward castes have not yet achieved equal opportunities in jobs and education, nor has social inequality been reduced. This is as clear as writing on the wall that caste elites like BJP leaders are responsible for this," the Chief Minister said.
He added that history stands witness to the fact that the RSS - the parent organisation of the BJP - has supported the caste system since its inception.
"Whenever opportunities for social justice opened up, the BJP has fought against them. The BJP challenged reservations in Karnataka's local bodies by taking the case to the Supreme Court. The BJP has campaigned against reservations in every state in the country," the Chief Minister said.
He said that when former Prime Minister V.P. Singh implemented the Mandal Commission report, the BJP incited violence against innocent students and tried to fill people's minds with the venom of religion by launching the 'Kamandal' movement against the Mandal report.
"The goal of communalism is not only to target minorities but also to destroy Dalit and minority communities," the Chief Minister said.
He said that due to the awareness among reservation beneficiaries today, the BJP lacks the courage to oppose reservations directly. To achieve this, on the one hand, they attempt to amend the Constitution that provides legal protection to reservations, while on the other hand, they try to create internal conflicts among the beneficiaries of reservations to blunt the weapon of social justice.
He added that today, the beneficiaries of reservations - minorities, backward castes, and Dalit communities - are more aware as they understand who their enemies and friends are.
"Our people are not foolish enough to believe false claims of support for reservations from those who harbour anti-reservation sentiments deep within. People have seen, experienced, and understood how the BJP and Sangh Parivar have systematically undermined opportunities for social justice over time. They will not be swayed by your fake slogans of social justice," he said.
He added that the SC has mandated a caste-based social and economic survey to determine whether equal opportunities are being provided or not.
"Our government has already conducted such a survey in Karnataka. If the BJP and their government at the Centre truly care about social justice, let them conduct a caste census across the country promptly. This is essential to understand whether reservations have reached the most marginalised sections of society," the Chief Minister said.
He said that Rahul Gandhi has publicly stated not just in public meetings but also in the Lok Sabha that the Congress is committed to increasing the reservation percentage from the current 50 per cent to 75 per cent.
"If BJP leaders are so concerned and committed about reservations, let them pressure the Central government to increase the reservation percentage from 50 per cent to 75 per cent," the Chief Minister said.
On Wednesday, Karnataka BJP called upon party workers to stage a statewide protest over the alleged statements on withdrawing reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made by Rahul Gandhi, during his US visit.
(With inputs from IANS)
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