The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : OBC leaders in JD(S) urged to join Congress

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Thursday, Mar 20, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

OBC leaders in JD(S) urged to join Congress

Special Correspondent

Siddaramaiah

Bangalore: The former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday called upon the OBC leaders in the Janata Dal (S) to join the Congress, which was committed to their cause.

Mr. Siddaramaiah was speaking after presenting letters of appointment as office-bearers in the district and block units of the OBC Cell in the KPCC. KPCC president M. Mallikarjun Kharge inaugurated the function. Attacking the Janata Dal (S) and the BJP, Mr. Siddaramaiah exhorted the OBCs leaders to quit those parties and work for the success of the Congress.

He recalled the history of the Congress under Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi under whom many OBC leaders were provided opportunities. The former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda had opposed implementation of the reports of the backward classes commissions, headed by L.G. Havanur during the D. Devaraj Urs tenure and those headed by Chinnappa Reddy and Venkataswamy when Ramakrishna Hegde was Chief Minister.

Mr. Siddaramaiah advised the OBCs to maintain a distance from the BJP, because it was not just the enemy of the minorities, but also the downtrodden such as Dalits and OBCs and the poor. Both the Janata Dal (S) and BJP were two faces of the same coin and were opposed to social justice, he charged.

BJP leader L.K. Advani had opposed the implementation of the Mandal Commission. Again, it was the BJP which instigated violence when the UPA Government decided to extend reservation to OBCs in Central universities, IIMs and IITs, he charged.

Mr. Kharge and Mr. Siddaramaiah exuded confidence that the Congress would win the Assembly elections. Mr. Siddaramaiah thanked Congress president Sonia Gandhi for appointing him the Campaign Committee chairman.

The former Deputy Chief Minister promised that he would work with the senior leaders to bring the party back to power.

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