BJP MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal warned Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa of severe repercussions if the demands of the Panchamasali community to include them under the 2A reservation category was not met by the end of the Budget session.
Speaking at a massive convention at Palace Grounds in the city, organised by Panchamasalis - a sub-caste of the Lingayat community, Yatnal said that the dharna will continue until their demands were met. "If you don't declare 2A reservation by the end of the session, Lingayat community will ..," he said, gesturing that the community would send Yediyurappa home.
Yatnal said that the CM will have to respond to the 2A reservation demands when the Legislature session resumed on March 4. "If he continues his drama, two ministers from the community (CC Patil and Murugesh Nirani) and chairmen of boards and corporations should resign," he said.
Rubbishing the government decided to order a study of the Panchamasali community before granting it 2A status, he said that Yediyurappa could grant the demands. "When it came to your caste, you gave it. Why are you not giving us?....... Let us know if you cannot fulfil (our demands). We know how to take it," he said, accusing the CM of turning a blind eye to petitions on revising the reservation status of several other communities in the state.
Continuing his salvo against the CM, he said that nobody could shut his mouth by issuing a notice. "If anyone thinks that Basangouda will be cowed, he will have to vacate his seat soon," he said, referring to the show-cause notice issued by BJP high command recently.
In the event disrupted by rains, Mines and Geology minister Nirani and Small Scale Industries minister CC Patil were jeered by the crowd during their address, forcing seers Jayamrutyunjaya Swami and Vachanaananda swami to step in the control of the crowd. Both the ministers assured the gathering of a positive response from the government.
Leaders of the community decided to set up Akhila Bharata Lingayat Panchamasali Mahasabha, to push for their demands in the coming days.
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