Siddaramaiah for bigger platform for smaller OBC groups

Moots quota in Lok Sabha, State legislature

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah sharing a lighter moment with actor and progressive thinker G.K. Govinda Rao and writer U.R. Ananthamurthy at the inauguration of the seminar on ‘Status of deprived classes’ in Bangalore on Wednesday. Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah on Wednesday suggested that smaller groups among the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) should be given reservation in the Lok Sabha and State legislature as they would never achieve progress without political representation.

He was speaking at a seminar, organised by the Odanadigalu Janapara Vedike, to honour him for his four decades in politics.

Mr. Siddaramaiah promised that he would continue to espouse the cause of backward classes even after retiring from active politics at the age of 70.

Mr. Siddaramaiah extolled the OBCs not to be complacent like they were when the Bharatiya Janata Party, working against their interests, tried to bring all minor Veerashaiva sects under Category II A of the backward classes list.

He accused the BJP leaders, including its general secretary Ananth Kumar, MP, of opposing the former Human Resource Minister Arjun Singh when he amended the law to give reservation to OBCs in IITs.

He pointed out that M. Rama Jois, BJP MP, had moved the Supreme Court opposing reservation for OBCs in urban local bodies.