Make your stance clear on internal reservation for SC, ST, OBCs: H D Kumaraswamy to Karnataka govt

The state government has to make its stance clear on the issue of providing internal reservation among SC, ST and OBC communities, JD(S) legislature party leader HD Kumaraswamy demanded on Sunday.

Backing internal reservation, the regional party leader charged that the government was offering "lip sympathy" on the issue without acting on it.

He questioned the government's motives in a series of tweets. "When the government can bring in 10 pc reservation for upper castes, what is stopping it from bringing internal reservation for SC, ST and OBCs? The state government should take all backward communities into confidence and implement internal reservation. The Supreme Court's recent observation on the issue is in favour of internal reservation. Implementing it, is the duty of the government in the interest of social justice," he said.

Further, the Prime Minister himself being from an oppressed community, he should ensure internal reservation in the interest of all sub-communities, Kumaraswamy argued. "Even to this day, in the oppressed communities, there is a division of touchables and untouchables," he pointed out.

Kumaraswamy's tweets saw a quick retort from SA Ramadas, MLA of Krishnaraja constituency who alleged that the comparison between internal reservation and the 10 percent EWS reservation was unfair. The MLA said the state government was very much in the process of implementing measures for the development of the backward communities. "What problem do you have with the EWS among upper castes getting 10 percent reservation? There is no discrimination among castes when it comes to poverty," Ramadas hit back at Kumaraswamy.