By The Hindu Bureau
Copyright thehindu
BJP MLC and former Minister A.H. Vishwanath on Tuesday alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was playing the Kuruba card for his political survival.
Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Mr. Vishwanath said Mr. Siddaramaiah’s fresh move to revive the proposal to include Kuruba community into the list of Scheduled Tribes (ST) was part of his political design to counter Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who was keen on grabbing the Chief Minister’s post.
It may be mentioned here that both Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Vishwanath belong to the Kuruba community, which is presently categorised among the Other Backward Classes (OBC).
Recalling that a proposal to include Kurubas in the list of STs was mooted during the tenure of former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and an ethnographic study too was conducted, Mr. Vishwanath said the succeeding government of Mr. Siddaramaiah had forwarded the recommendation to the Union government instead of sending the same to the Registrar General of India.
He alleged that Mr. Siddaramaiah was not interested in ensuring the inclusion of Kurubas into the list of STs. He claimed that the Chief Minister had made no contribution to the Kurubas, but was counting on the support of the community during his difficult times.
Fresh caste census
Mr. Vishwanath said the caste census conducted by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes headed by Mr. Kantharaj had given a good report, but Mr. Siddaramaiah did not have the ‘courage’ to accept the report.
The report was allowed to languish for ten years before dumping the exercise and opting for a fresh census, he said.
With regard to the creation of new castes to recognise converts, the BJP MLC said there was no need for new castes like “Kuruba Christian”.
“Once a person converts to Christianity, he or she becomes a Christian,” he said, adding that there is no need to retain the earlier caste of the convert. However, he said conversion was a person’s right in democracy.
Backing the government’s decision to invite writer Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate Dasara, Mr. Vishwanath welcomed the High Court’s decision to dismiss the petitions challenging the government’s choice.
