The winter session of the Karnataka legislature will be held in Belagavi, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said in Belagavi on Sunday.
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“We are thinking about it. It needs to be ratified by the Cabinet. We will place the proposal before the Cabinet and get it approved,” he told presspersons.
He assured the people of Belagavi that the State government would shift the offices of some departments from Bengaluru to Belagavi before the commencement of the winter session.
“The sugar directorate will be shifted to Belagavi. It will start functioning here from October 3. The orders have been issued already,” he said. “Some other offices will also be shifted. While the orders for some have already been issued, the formalities for the remaining will be completed soon.”
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On quota issue
On the proposed protest by the Panchamasali community for inclusion under the 2A Other Backward Classes category, he said he was in constant touch with the seer Basava Jaya Mrutyunjaya Swami. “I will speak to him today also. It is a problem that has to be resolved by all of us together,” Mr. Bommai said.
“The inclusion of the community has to be done as per the established procedure. It has to be recommended by the State Backward Classes Commission. Once the commission gives its report, it will have to be studied and implemented by the government. We will address the issue in a systematic manner,” he said.
About the rumours that the BJP high command was not allowing veteran leader B.S. Yediyurappa to begin a tour of the State, he said Arun Singh, the BJPs national general secretary in charge of Karnataka, had already clarified about it and said there were no such hurdles in the way of Mr. Yediyurappa.
To a question, he said there was no truth in the Congress’ allegations that the government had not taken off. “People’s opinion is important to us. People feel that the government has taken off. The Opposition can say what it feels,” he said.