Davangere: Karnataka BJP claimed on Monday that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is attempting to sow the “seeds of division” among communities due to the caste census.
“Siddaramaiah lacks sincerity regarding the caste census. The BJP has, on several occasions, said that the Chief Minister is playing politics with the issue and is attempting to sow the seeds of division among communities. Our clear stand is that backward, oppressed, and marginalised communities – all communities – should get justice,” said BJP state chief and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra while addressing the third phase of the ‘Janakrosh Yatra’, which began on Monday.
The yatra will go through Davangere and Haveri districts before proceeding to Gadag and Koppal districts. It was launched by the state BJP to condemn the Karnataka government on the price of rice and the alleged Muslim quota.
The state BJP chief also accused Siddaramaiah of “lying” on the caste census.
He also accused the Chief Minister of raising the caste census issue whenever he feels insecure about his position.
On ‘Janakrosh Yatra’, Vijayendra claimed that enthusiasm is “rising” in every district to take part in the BJP event and “public anger” against the state government is also increasing.
“After my statement that the Chief Minister and ministers are confined to Bengaluru, I got a sense that the Chief Minister has become alert. Since then, his visits to Belagavi and other districts have been scheduled. It’s clear that the heat of public anger has reached the state government,” he said.
On the incident where students appearing for an exam were allegedly asked to remove their ‘Janivara’ (sacred thread), Vijayendra said Brahmin students were insulted and that the issue has sparked widespread discussion both in the state and across the country.
He urged the Chief Minister to treat the matter seriously and not brush the incident aside.
“The entire community is upset. The Chief Minister should not treat this lightly and must issue appropriate directions. Various communities wear the ‘Janivara’ or sacred thread. The Chief Minister must issue directives in a way that does not hurt the sentiments of any community,” he added.
(IANS)
