Responding to a section of Kabbaliga (Koli) community leaders, who alleged that the Congress did not act upon their demand to including their community in the Scheduled Tribes (STs) list, Social Welfare Minister Priyank Kharge has said the proposal sent by the previous Congress government favouring the demand was rejected by the BJP-led Union government twice. The proposal to accord ST status to the Kuruba community was also rejected by the Union government. He was addressing a press conference in Kalaburagi on Wednesday.
“The Siddaramaiah government had, on March 3, 2014, sent a proposal to Union Minister of Tribal Affairs favouring the demand of including Gangamatha, Kabbaliga and Koli, the synonyms for the same community, in the Scheduled Tribes list. Congress leader in the Lok Sabha M. Mallikarjun Kharge too, on August 8, 2015, wrote to the Ministry saying the same community was already in the ST category in other States. But, the BJP-led government at the Centre rejected it. The State government again approached the Union government with additional information putting forward the same demand. Union Minister of Tribal Affairs forwarded it to Registrar General & Census Commissioner on for reconsideration. But, the demand was finally rejected on August 16, 2017 once again,” he said.
Another proposal sent demanding the inclusion of the Kuruba community in the ST list was also rejected by the Union government, he added. “Gonda, Rajagonda, Jenukuruba, Kadukuruaba, and Kuruba are one and the same and the different names are just synonyms. Gonda, Rajagonda, Jenukuruba and Kadukuruba are already in the ST list. But, Kuruba is not,” he said.
Sharan Prakash Patil, former Minister and Congress leader, asked BJP leaders to explain why they had rejected the demand of the including Kabbaliga communitywhen the same community was already in under ST category in other States such as Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
“The BJP is against offering reservations to backward communities,” he said.