Ugrappa warns statewide agitation over reservation issue

Belagavi: Former MP VS Ugrappa alleged that successive state govts in Karnataka have failed to secure constitutional protection for the enhanced 56% reservation for SC, ST and OBC communities. He demanded that the state govt lead an all-party delegation to the Centre to include the revised reservation in the 9th Schedule. Warning of intensified protests, Ugrappa said a day-and-night statewide agitation would be launched if the delegation is not sent by June.Speaking to media on Tuesday, VS Ugrappa said that the Tamil Nadu govt has increased the 50% reservation in the state to 69%. During his tenure as chief minister, Basavaraj Bommai issued orders increasing the reservation to 56%. After making a special case for such an increase based on detailed study and analysis, the Scheduled Caste reservation increased to 17% and that for Scheduled Tribes to 7%, respectively. But successive govts have failed to give it constitutional recognition, he said.Siddaramaiah, who came to power in 2023, has also been requested many times to take a delegation to the Centre regarding the increase in reservation. The chief minister is following a policy of delay in doing so. He has ignored all the requests made in this regard, he alleged. "If the central govt acts in a way that threatens social justice, we will respond with violent struggle," he warned."Reservation is constitutionally binding. There is no objection from anybody to including eligible communities like Kuruba, Golla, Koli Samaj in the ST category. It is our hope that reservation should be implemented that provides justice to the backward classes of the state. Reservations should be provided to these communities only after a genealogical study of the respective community," he said.