Former chief minister and Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) president B S Yeddyurappa on Tuesday promised Vipra (brahmin) community to take their demand for reservation further for the good of the community.
Addressing a gathering of brahmin community members at the Vipra Awareness Meet organised by Vipra Praspara Sahaya Samiti, at Sarada Vilas College grounds in the city, Yeddyurappa said ‘either he will try take a call on the demand on his own or will exert pressure on others to look into the demand’.
Saying that he was not here to make any political statement, Yeddyurappa in an attempt to woo the community said ‘brahmins are known as brainy people and have played a pivotal role in the administration since the period of rule of maharajas’. Referring to Chandragupta Maurya, who had Chanakya as his advisor and our own Wadiyars for who Sir M Visvesvaraya was the dewan, Yeddyurappa said even the royal priests and other nobles were also from the same community.
Listing out the programmes launched during his tenure as chief minister, Yeddyurappa said he had introduced different pension schemes for the benefit of 48 lakh people.
Earlier, former chairman of Dryland Development Board K R Mohan Kumar said reservation is not an insult, but the right of every citizen.
Justifying the demand, Mohan Kumar said according to an article of Indian Constitution, economicaly weaker sections in the society are entitled for reservation.
Earlier president of District Cooperative Union H V Rajiv and the man behind the convention, advocated for reservation for the community and also a separate board to look into their welfare. Clarifying that he was not blaming anybody, Rajiv said those who derived political benefits from the community eventually ignored the community thus leading to their pathetic state.
Below poverty line
Quoting a survey, Rajiv said ‘ 55 pc of brahmin families in the nation are still living below poverty line (BPL). Barring a few priests, 60 pc of them still fall in the same category’.
Seer Sri Govindananda Saraswati of Balakrishnananda Samsthan, Talkad, T Narsipur taluk in the district, litterateur T V Venkatachala Shastry, industrialist R Guru, entrepreneur Uday Garudachar and others were present.