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Political representation essential for caste’s progress: CM Siddaramaiah at Kuruba event
He made these remarks while speaking at the 9th National Convention of Shepherd India International, held on Tuesday in Belagavi district of Karnataka
Bengaluru:
The Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah spoke about the need for people to share political power and highlighted that “many castes have not been able to climb the steps of the Vidhana Soudha”.
He made these remarks while speaking at the 9th National Convention of Shepherd India International, held on Tuesday in Belagavi district of Karnataka. The Haryana governor Bandaru Dattatreya inaugurated the convention, which was attended by several leaders from Karnataka and different states.
“Political representation is essential for the progress of society. The Kuruba society has done an excellent job of organising itself. Political power should grow, and everyone should have a share in it. Political representation is crucial for the progress of any society. When a community lacks someone to speak up for them, they fall behind. We should organise ourselves and develop the political power to grow,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah belongs to the Kuruba (shepherd) community, a backward class in Karnataka, which forms the backbone of his AHINDA (a Kannada acronym for Alpasankhyataru or minorities, Hindulidavaru or backward classes, and Dalitaru or Dalits) vote bank. As per the details of the leaked 2015 caste survey, Kuruba community comprised 7% of Karnataka’s population.
Describing himself as a socialist and a proponent of an equal society, chief minister Siddaramaiah asserted that an equal society is only possible when all communities are socially, economically, educationally, and politically strengthened.
Siddaramaiah said that communities nowadays are uniting in the name of caste and religion, which are already well-off socially and economically. “This is not a healthy tradition. Even I don’t support religious institutions engaging in casteism. One should see all humans as equals. That’s why I have initiated several programs for the financially and socially disadvantaged, with inclusive growth in mind,” he said.
The statement comes as Congress MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa, who is the president of Akhila Bharatha Veerashaiva Mahasabha, the apex body of the Lingayat community, raised his concerns regarding the unfair treatment of the Lingayat community in official postings.
The event was also a show of strength for Siddaramaiah as senior leaders like BK Hariprasad have been trying to mobilise Backward Classes in the state. The senior leader who was denied a cabinet berth has started a state-wide tour holding meetings with the Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities in the state—a vote bank often associated with chief minister Siddaramaiah.
Siddaramaiah however claimed that it’s not wrong for deprived communities to come together under the banner of their castes and hold conventions to secure their constitutional rights. He said one should not view such conventions through the lens of casteism. These organisations ignite the flame of a more equitable society. “I pray to God to give me the strength to run a government that is inclusive of all castes,” he said.
“I advocate for an equal society. Those who criticise me should understand the basics. Some want the poor to remain subservient and fear disadvantaged people achieving equality. This is why they oppose government welfare programs such as the five guarantee schemes, including Annabhagya, Bhagyalaxmi, and Shakti,” he said.
He added that in many states, the Kuruba community is categorised under SC, ST, backward class, and general categories. In Kalaburagi , Bidar, and Yadgiri districts, the Kurubas and Gond communities are the same, and it has been recommended to the Centre that these communities should be included in the ST category,” he said.
(With inputs from Hirekope Rajan Samuel)
