Four breakaway groups of the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti have decided to launch a joint struggle to prevent and protest against the diversion of the Special Component Plan (SCP) and Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) funds by different departments for works other than development activities for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
The four factions of the DSS include the DSS (Krantikari), the DSS (Bheem Vada), the DSS (Ambedkar Vada) and the DSS have decided to work under the Karnataka Dalit Sangharsh Samiti Rajya Okkoota, under the presidentcy of Venkatagiri.
Malleshi Sajjan, senior Dalit and trade union leader, will be the working president. H. Malleshi will be the vice-president, Basavaraj Kouthal the general secretary along with Arjun Bhadre, S.R. Kollur, Devendra Shellagi and Laxmi Sagar as organising secretaries. Dr. Sajjan and Mr. Bhadre told presspersons here on Thursday that leaders of all four factions met in Bengaluru on September 27 and decided to unite under a common umbrella.
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Leaders of these factions discussed the reasons for the division in the Dalit movement in the past two decades and its weakening in the State. They said the okkoota will launch a 45 day agitation throughout the State from October 15 exposing the large-scale diversion of the SCP and TSP funds.
The okkoota will picket the residence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in November.