Daijiworld Media Network – Dharwad (SP)

Dharwad, May 14: “We will fight tooth and nail the Ranghanath Mishra Commission report, that has recommended extension of benefits of reservation even for those who have converted into Christianity, as this will deprive the backward classes of their legitimate due,” said state minister for housing, Katta Subrahmanya Naidu.

He was addressing the preliminary meeting of the reception committee, organized by Karnataka Backward Classes Forum at Hubli on Thursday May 13. He said that the party will spread awareness against religious conversions.

BJP state president, K S Eshwarappa, speaking after inaugurating the meeting, stressed that the BJP is not against Muslims or Christians. He expressed the confidence that the Muslims will sooner or later assimilate and understand the principles and policies of the BJP and start joining this party in large numbers in course of time. “We are against those who earn their bread and butter here and then raise slogans in favour of Pakistan,” he added.

He claimed that as against a total sum of Rs 25 crore set aside for minority development by previous governments, the BJP government had allotted Rs 175 crore for this purpose in its first budget itself. He warned that his party will launch a nation-wide agitation, if the central government does not reject the report of Ranganath Mishra Commission forthwith.

Minister, Jagadish Shettar, also said that the BJP government is the only one so far to have shown genuine concern for the backward classes as against the previous Congress government, which only shed crocodile tears without sanctioning additional grants for minority welfare.

Minor irrigation minister, Govind Karjol, MP, Prahlad Joshi, minister, Anand Asnotikar and Devaraj Urs Backward Classes Development Corporation chairman, Ashok Katve, also addressed the meeting.