‘Yediyurappa is nurturing casteism in state’

Former advocate general Ravivarma Kumar said that Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa is nurturing casteism in Karnataka.

During the observation of World Day of Social Justice, organised by Dr B R Ambedkar Research and Extension Centre of University of Mysore in Mysuru on Saturday, he said, "Instead of the principle of democracy, as a rule of the people, for the people and by the people, the present dispensation is of Lingayats, for Lingayats and by Lingayats."

“By establishing development boards for 16 castes, Yediyurappa has given funds for them. He has given funds to religious institutions like mutts of a few castes. It is unlawful to give public money to such institutions. This wrong policy has lead the people of various castes to hold stirs for reservation. But, for the board of his own caste, he has given Rs 500 crore. He is publicly practising casteism. His behaviour is against the principles of the Constitution. If there was a secular government, there would not have been protests for reservation,” he said.

“In principle, seers, swamis and sanyasis should be selfless and detached. If such religious and spiritual persons, who wear kaavi (ochre) robes, start politics, kaavi loses its sanctity. They do not qualify to be seers and pontiffs. As all people follow casteism, these seers are not questioned,” he said.

“Why do seers exert influence on governments, to appoint certain persons as ministers? Mutts have become power centres and places to choose ministers. These are becoming ultra-Constitutional power centres,” he said.