Bengaluru: With Valmiki Gurupeetha pontiff Sri Prasannanandapuri Swami calling off his dharna, which had reached its 257th day at Freedom Park on Monday, the Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP Government has addressed the issue of quota hike for SC/STs.
Following Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s approval of the Ordinance introduced by the Bommai Cabinet, Revenue Minister R. Ashoka gave the protesting seer a copy of the government’s gazetted order on the hike in quota for SCs from 15 per cent to 17 per cent and for STs from 3 per cent to 7 per cent.
“We got the Governor’s approval even though he was in Madhya Pradesh, and we presented this to the SC/ST community as a Deepavali gift. Other than Bommai, no other leader would have taken the chance to hit a ‘beehive.’ As the seer had urged, we finished it before the solar eclipse on October 25,” he said.
He claimed that the opposition had been trying to benefit from the issue and wished that the seer continued his protest till the 2023 Assembly elections.
“Sri Nirmalanandanath Swami had called me on the phone to discuss the increase in quota for Vokkaligas. I said that all communities will receive justice from the government. And after consulting with the seer, we will decide,” he added.