Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah called upon the Valmiki community to stand firmly for those who worked for their welfare, saying that people should support those who enhanced opportunities for their community.
At the Valmiki Jayanti event held at Vidhana Soudha Banquet Hall, while distributing Valmiki awards, Siddaramaiah highlighted that the Congress government led by him made provisions to allocate development budgets for SC/ST communities proportional to their population. He noted that residential schools like Hobli and Morarji schools for SC/ST communities were also established under his leadership.
He explained the efforts to include Valmiki and Kuruba communities in the ST category, stating that he and Ugrappa had requested Ramakrishna Hegde, who forwarded the proposal to the Central government, but it was not approved at that time. Ugrappa’s persistent efforts and coordination with Devegowda and Chandrashekhar eventually helped the Valmiki community get ST status during Chandrashekhar’s tenure as Prime Minister. Siddaramaiah emphasized that Ugrappa was instrumental in securing reservations for Valmiki, Beda, and Nayaka communities.
Regarding Kurubas, Siddaramaiah clarified that it was BJP leader Ishwarappa who fought for their inclusion in ST, and when Bommai was CM, he forwarded Ishwarappa’s proposal to the Centre, which is now under consideration. He assured that if Kurubas are included in ST, the overall ST reservation quota should increase, and no one should encroach upon anyone’s rights or opportunities.
Siddaramaiah also recalled that during J.H. Patel’s tenure as CM, several communities were recommended for ST inclusion, but it has not materialized yet. He further noted that the Valmiki community, despite historical deprivation of literacy, created the great epic Ramayana, and therefore education must be a priority for every community member.
