Senior leaders from the Balija community, including former Congress minister M R Seetharam, have demanded Category 2A reservation for the Balija community instead of a development corporation.
Addressing a news conference, Seetharam described the BJP government's decision to set up a Balija Development Corporation as an "election gimmick".
"The BJP government has no real concern for the community. The development corporation is just an election gimmick. There will be no use for the community from this corporation. Instead, we demand reservation in employment," Seetharam said.
"We are not demanding a new reservation. We are asking for what we had earlier. The Balija community was shifted to Category 3A in 1994 and we demand the reservation under Category 2A, which we had earlier," Seetharam said.
He added that the reservation provided to the Balija community under Category 2A was changed to Category 3A unscientifically. "All the committees in the past have recommended the Balija community under Category 2A as they are educationally, socially, economically and politically backward," he said.
Published 24 March 2023, 17:39 IST