Bangalore: Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda has spoken on behalf of the coalition Government stating that it will be issuing a notification providing for internal reservation in respect of Category II A of the other backward classes in the State.

Mr. Gowda, in an interview to a Kannada news channel, said the notification would be issued in a few days.

The former Prime Minister had advocated creating a separate quota for the dominant Kuruba and Idiga castes, which figure among the 127 castes listed in Category II A of the State's scheme of reservation. He further said that the category would be divided into three groups so that all those castes listed in that grouping would benefit. The coalition partner Bharatiya Janata Party was in agreement with the move and the Government had the backing of a judgment of the Supreme Court.

Mr. Gowda's advocacy of separate reservation for Kurubas and Idigas was one of the factors leading to the differences which arose with former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who was later dropped from the previous coalition ministry.

Mr. Gowda said that he would not hesitate to direct his son, H.D. Kumaraswamy to resign as Chief Minister if the suspended BJP MLC Janardhana Reddy adduced evidence in support of his bribery allegation.

He would also call for dropping Forest Minister C. Chennigappa from the Ministry if there was evidence of bribe taking against him.

On the allegations being levelled by the Congress MLA and former Minister D.K. Shivakumar, the Janata Dal (Secular) president said that they would come up with revelations which should jolt everyone with regard to the "former Cooperation Minister".

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