Members of the district units of Karavali Kulal Kumbarara Yuva Vedike and Karnataka Rajya Kumbarara Mahasangha staged a dharna in front of the Clock Tower here on Sunday over alleged derogatory remarks made by Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar about pottery recently.
Addressing the protesters, Ananayya Kulal, director of the mahasangha, said that in response to a recent comment by the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, about the longevity of the Siddaramaiah government, Mr. Shivakumar had said that the State government was not a clay pot that it would fall and break away. This was the second time that Mr. Shivakumar was using the same analogy.
He should realise that a potter puts in hard work and develops a pot. Hence, using this analogy was totally undesirable and also derogatory, he added.
He should realise that there were about 20 lakh people belonging to the potter’s (Kumbarara) community in the State. There were about three lakh people belonging to the community in coastal Karnataka. Mr. Shivakumar should withdraw his comment and tender a public apology, he said.
The mahasangha had long demanded that it should be included in either Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes categories. The then B.S. Yeddyurappa government had created a potters’ corporation but it worked under the D. Devaraj Urs Backward Classes Corporation. Mr. Shivakumar should work to give autonomous status to the potters’ corporation and the State government should set aside ₹ 50 crore for this corporation, Mr. Kulal said.
Rama Kulal, Aithu Kulal, Satish Kulal, Shankar Kulal, and office-bearers of the sangha were present.
