Siddu slams Shettar

Absence of law minister at CRA meeting draws flak

Opposition Leader Siddaramaiah blamed chief minister Jagadish Shettar on the Cauvery water sharing issue.

Observing that prime minister Manmohan Singh was not to be blamed for the imbroglio, Siddaramaiah said Jagadish Shettar had failed to take law minister S Suresh Kumar into confidence on the issue.

When the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) meeting was held in Delhi, only chief minister and water resources minister Basavaraj Bommai attended it, leaving out the law minister.
He alleged that Shettar had accepted to release 10,000 cusecs, but the prime minister reduced it to 9,000 cusecs.

Review petition

When the review petition was being heard at the Supreme Court, none of the advocates representing the state attended, he added.

Reservation

Claiming that not all political parties were for social justice, leader of opposition in the Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah said the BJP was opposed to reservation, which is in the favour of backward classes.

He was speaking at a convention organised by the backward classes wing of the Mysore District Rural Congress Committee at Sarada Vilas Centenary Hall here on Sunday.

Observing that caste system was unique for the country, he said economic and social inequality has increased due to the system.

He said discriminated classes were being denied of education and political representation. Movements against inequality have been going on from the time of Buddha and Basavanna, but equality is still elusive.

He said the BJP and JD(S) have been against reservation and are limiting the socio-economic progress of backward classes.

Actor Umashri and D Devaraj Urs Truck Terminal ex-president Hanuman Shetty were felicitated on the occasion.

MLA V Sreenivas Prasad, MP A H Vishwanath, MLA M Satyanarayana, backward classes wing president M C Venugopal, district unit president Kotehundi C Mahadevu, district Congress committee president R Dharmasena, city unit president C Dasegowda, general secretary H A Venkatesh, former MLA M K Somashekar, KPCC members K Marigowda and C Narsegowda were present.