Karnataka - Hassan   

Fishermen, washermen will get reservation: Deve Gowda

Reaching out: The former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda addressing a function at Aremadanahalli in Hassan district on Sunday.

HASSAN: The former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda has expressed concern over the “deteriorating” moral values in politics.

“There is no “kriya dhakti” or “kriya shuddi” and under such circumstances, religious maths had a greater role to play," he said at the silver jubilee celebrations of the “peetharohana pattabhisekha” of Viswakarma Swamiji Gurushivasugnaanamurthy at Aremadanahalli in Arakalagudu Taluk in Hassan district on Sunday.

Mr. Deve Gowda said that discussions were under way to bring under the internal reservation policy the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) who were left out last time. The Deveraj Urs Government had appointed the L.G. Havanur Commission to identify the Backward Classes to be included in internal reservation. Mr. Deve Gowda said that his Government had introduced internal reservation among the OBCs in 1995.

Mr. Deve Gowda said that internal reservation alone would not solve the problem. B.R. Ambedkar had said that the reservation policy should be reviewed every 10 years, he said. “But we did not follow the advice for political reasons. If we come to power, we will provide internal reservation to fishermen, “kumbaras” and washermen. We will make a vertical split. This will be included in our manifesto.” He took a dig at parties who were making a hue and cry about the welfare of farmers. “They did not do anything when they were in power and are now shedding crocodile tears. People should be careful about such people as they are doing it for getting votes,” he said. Mr. Deve Gowda said he did not want his sons H.D. Revanna and H.D. Kumaraswamy in politics. “I was defeated in Holenarsipur in 1989 and my opponents filed cases against me. This was the reason I shifted to Ramanagar in 1994. Then local leaders brought Revanna to politics and fielded him from Holenarsipur.”

He said that Mr. Revanna, as president of Karnataka Milk Federation, brought about revolutionary changes. He had increased the price of milk by Rs. 2. and the entire amount was going to the producers. This was for the first time in the country, Mr. Deve Gowda added. President of the State Viswakarma association B. Umesh sought internal reservation for the Viswakarma communit.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Fishermen, washermen will get reservation: Deve Gowda
65-year-old woman dies of burns
12 killed in road accidents

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu