Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP) on Thursday launched an indefinite Satyagraha urging the government to extend the Shaadi Bhagya scheme to all of the poor people and restore rice and wheat supply to above poverty line (APL) card-holders.
Leading the party workers to the venue of the Satyagraha in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue near Ananda Rao Circle here, party president B.S. Yeddyurappa said that the decision of the government to restrict the Shaadi Bhagya benefits only to Muslim women was not right.
The indefinite dharna-Satyagraha would continue till the two demands are fulfilled by the government, Mr. Yeddyurappa said.
In a related development, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has, in New Delhi on Thursday, stated that the Shaadi Bhagya scheme would be applicable to brides from all minority communities. KJP workers, however, said that the government order only spoke about the scheme applicable to Muslim brides.
Mr. Yeddyurappa said that he had not discriminated against religions and castes while introducing several welfare schemes during his tenure as Chief Minister. Be it Bhagyalakshmi or Sandhya Suraksha, the schemes were made applicable to one and all from the economically weaker sections of society, he said.
On the withdrawal of supply of rice and wheat to APL card-holders, Mr. Yeddyurappa said that this action of the Congress government was also not right. A majority of APL card-holders are from the lower middle and middle classes, and they did not become rich soon after the Siddaramaiah government came to power, he said.
He urged the government to immediately address the two demands; otherwise he would be forced to continue the dharna-Satyagraha indefinitely. He said, “I have decided not to celebrate Deepavali and instead fight for the cause of the common man.”
Many KJP leaders, including V. Dhananjay Kumar and Shobha Karandlaje, were present.
