In a blistering critique from Bengaluru, veteran BJP figure A Narayanaswamy on Friday branded Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah a betrayer of the Madiga community’s long-standing internal reservation struggle. After 35 years of agitation, the Congress-led government has duped not only Madigas but Dalits everywhere, he alleged.
Narayanaswamy exposed how the state confused 101 castes and misled unemployed youth with false promises on quotas. Tamil Nadu stands as a model with its 69% reservation under Article 9, bolstering the deprived, while Karnataka’s leadership lacks the will to fight court battles effectively.
Public funds wasted on surveys and commissions yield nothing, as reports from Justices Sadashiva, Madhuswamy, and Nagmohan Das gather dust. A year post-Supreme Court order, no progress on internal reservation despite an assembly bill forwarded to the Governor—clear proof of governmental paralysis.
Challenging the CM, Dalit ministers, and 54 SC/ST MLAs, Narayanaswamy urged them to resign if committed to Dalits. ‘Silent in cabinets, voiceless on the floor—why hold positions of power?’ he asked rhetorically.
Vowing statewide protests, he targeted the CM’s ouster amid 2.8 lakh job vacancies fueling youth unrest. The cabinet’s rollback to outdated quotas is a fresh insult to Dalits and aspirants, he said.
He invoked successful models like Chhattisgarh’s 58% and Madhya Pradesh’s 57% reservations, breaching the Indra Sawhney limit legally. Congress’s pre-poll promise to Madigas, the most marginalized sub-castes, lies shattered.
Labeling Siddaramaiah a pretender to social justice, Narayanaswamy hailed the Supreme Court’s pivotal August 1, 2024, decision. This Constitution Bench verdict greenlights internal reservations for socio-economically backward groups, echoing Ambedkar’s foundational ideals.