They had opposed internal quota

Bengaluru, Dec 6 (DHNS): The office of Assembly Speaker K B Koliwad has directed the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms to provide police protection to three MLAs.

The MLAs are — Manappa Vajjal (JD-S), Lingsugur; Shivaraj Tangadagi (Congress), Kanakagiri; and P Rajeev (BSR Congress), Kudachi, following complaints of life threat to them. The direction from Koliwad was issued on Monday.

When contacted by DH, the MLAs said that they received phone calls on Saturday and Sunday, with persons threatening them with dire consequences, if they opposed the implementation of the Sadashiva Commission report.

Assembly Speaker K B Koliwad 

Vajjal said that he has lodged a police complaint in Lingsugur, as he received calls on Saturday when he was in the constituency. Tangadagi said he received more than 15 calls, and that he has furnished the call records to the Speaker’s office and Home Minister G Parameshwara. Rajeev said that he received one call on Sunday.

The three legislators have opposed the implementation of the report terming it as unconstitutional and unscientific, as the recommendations would benefit only the Madiga community, thereby causing injustice to several other sub-categories under the Scheduled Castes.

Vajjal said that he would give a written complaint to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Home Minister on Tuesday.

They said that despite opposition, Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya was keen on getting the report approved in the Cabinet, before it is referred to the Centre for introducing a Constitutional amendment.

They said that the state government is in a hurry to implement the recommendations, without even putting it up in the public domain.

They also demanded that the report be presented in the legislature. They maintained that they will continue opposing the report, despite the threats.