From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bangalore, April 28: Feeling the heat over the controversy sparked off by the orders issued by some district deputy commissioners regarding alleged inclusion of Sadar Lingayats, a sub-caste of politically powerful Veerashaiva community in category IIA and the tirade by opposition parties as well as some ruling BJP leaders, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa himself took the unusual step of issuing an official clarification declaring that the Sadar Lingayats had not been granted any special benefits.
It may be recalled that Congress opposition leader in the state assembly Siddaramaiah as well as JD(S) state general secretary and party spokesman Y S V Datta had castigated the Yeddyurappa regime for conferring ``undeserved’’ benefits of reservation meant for 102 backward class communities in category IIA with an eye on wooing the major community during the ensuing grama panchayat polls.
Surprisingly, state BJP president K S Eshwarappa, who had resigned his ministerial post to take over the mantle of the state party presidentship, and Kannada Development Authority chairman Mukhyamantri Chandru, a BJP MLC, had also strongly criticised the reported move and publicly demanded that the controversial government order should be withdrawn forthwith.
Though the chief minister’s political secretary B J Puttaswamy had defended the the Yeddyurappa government and contended that no fresh orders on granting reservation benefits to Sadar Lingayats had been issued, the chief minister himself sought to clarify the government’s position and allay popular misconception lest the issue snowball into a major controversy and seriously hurt the ruling party in the two-phase grama panchayat elections on May 8 and 12.
Yeddyurappa said the government has not issued an order for providing reservation for Sadar Lingayats under category IIA. The government has earmarked 15 % reservation for 102 backward castes under category IIA. ``We have not altered the reservation quota that had been prescribed under the government order issued on April 11, 2002 by the then Congress government led by S M Krishna,” he said urging the opposition leaders to actually verify the facts before criticising the government and thereby misleading the people.
"The Congress leaders are trying to crate social disharmony during elections to gram panchayats by leveling baseless allegations against the government,” he claimed.
As per the order issued by the S M Krishna regime, there was no reservation for Sadar Lingayat under category IIA. Only Hindu Sadar, Sadaru, Sadar, Sadu Matha, Sadhu Kula, Sadu Gowda, Sadu Gouder, Sadari castes are eligible to get the benefits of reservation under column 89 of the category IIA.
The chief minister, however, told reporters that he had issued strict directions to Deputy Commissioners to strictly follow the Government orders while issuing caste certificates. Action would be taken against Deputy Commissioners who failed to adhere to Government orders, he warned.
The opposition leaders had alleged that the secretary of the social welfare department had directed the deputy commissioners on issue of caste certificates to Sadar Lingayats under category IIA in Haveri, Davangere, Dharwad, Shimoga and Chikmagalur districts on the plea that Hindu Sadar community was considered as backward class under category IIA even though there hardly any Hindu Sadars in those districts, who were mostly predominant in Tumkur, Kolar and Bangalore Rural. If these anamolies were not corrected forthwith, the large number backward classes belonging to 102 communities coming under category IIA would suffer, they alleged.
Answering questions from reporters, he said that he would discuss with both Eshwarappa and Mukhyamantri Chandru and clarify the position to them. ``We will take suitable action as necessary after ascertaining the facts on who had misguided them,” he said.
The chief minister also felt that the Karnataka Backward Class Commission Chairman C S Dwarakanath should also refrain from going to the Press with wrong information as he was heading a statutory body.
"If there were any doubts, the chairman should consult the Chief Secretary S V
Ranganath,”Yeddyurappa said pointing that the comments from somebody like Dwarakanath were likely to mislead the people.
The Chief Minister alleged that Siddaramaiah was frustrated after the party’s debacle in the Bangalore City Corporation elections and had resorted to levelling baseless charges against the Government on providing reservation for Sadar Lingayats.
“Let Siddaramaiah prove his allegations with evidence or tender an unconditional apology to the public,” Yeddyurappa said.
The Congress leaders were indulging in the malicious campaign against the government, which would not help them to fetch votes in the grama panchayat polls. After defeat in the BBMP elections, the Congress would set to lose all coming elections to local bodies, he said.