BJP warns government of serious consequences if internal reservation matrix is not set right within deadline

The BJP has warned the Congress government of “serious consequences” if it ignores the one-week deadline served by Scheduled Castes activists to set right the “anomalies” with respect to internal reservation matrix.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru on Monday, BJP State general secretary P. Rajiv, who was part of a group of of SC communities who staged a protest in Bengaluru recently seeking reworking of the matrix, pointed out that the deadline given by the protesters would end by Wednesday evening.

Alleging that the matrix was “unscientific” and had not complied with the Supreme Court’s directives, Mr. Rajiv expressed concern that the most oppressed communities like the nomadic groups had been given a raw deal under the new internal reservation matrix.

He recalled that the erstwhile BJP government led by Basavaraj Bommai had given reservation of 4.5% to Bovis, Banjaras, Korachas, Koramas and 1% reservation to nomadic groups that have 59 communities. But the Congress government had combined them and given a total reservation of only 5% while taking away 0.5% reservation from them, he alleged.

Instead of convening a meeting of the SC activists who had staged the protest, the government was trying to file criminal cases against them in an effort to silence them, he alleged.

He also took exception to the government making provision for caste categories like Banjara Christians, Bovi Christians etc.