BJP's protest against Rahul is like 'butchers protesting against animal cruelty': CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Sep 12: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Thursday that the BJP leaders' protest against Rahul Gandhi, falsely accusing him of making anti-reservation statements, is like "butchers protesting against animal cruelty".
He also pointed out that when former Prime Minister V P Singh implemented the Mandal Commission report, the BJP launched the 'Kamandal' movement, attempting to fill people’s minds with the opium of religion.
"In Karnataka, the BJP opposed local body reservations, even filing a petition in the Supreme Court led by the late Justice Rama Jois. Across the country, the BJP has consistently protested against reservation policies," said Siddaramaiah, according to a press statement issued by the CM's Office.
The CM said BJP leaders lack the understanding or wisdom to interpret Rahul Gandhi's statement.
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"The primary objective of the reservation is to ensure equal opportunities for all in education, employment, and access to resources. This isn’t just something Rahul Gandhi is saying - I stand by it too. How can this be construed as an anti-reservation statement?" asked Siddaramaiah.
Two days ago, Gandhi, while giving a talk at Georgetown University in the USA, when asked about the future of reservations in India, said, "We will think of scrapping reservations when India is a fair place. And India is not a fair place."
Siddaramaiah also blamed the BJP leaders for the social inequality that still persists in India, stating that the RSS, the ideological parent of the BJP, has defended the caste system since its very inception.
"Today, BJP leaders lack the courage to openly oppose reservations due to the growing awareness among beneficiaries," he said.
He stated that the Supreme Court recommended a caste-based socio-economic survey precisely to determine whether equal opportunities have been achieved.
|"If BJP leaders and their Union Government are truly committed to social justice, they should immediately conduct a nationwide Caste Census. This is essential to determine whether the reservation has truly reached the most marginalised sections of society," he added.
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Railway lines as fence could cut cost of barricading to curb man-elephant conflicts: MP Wadiyar
Bengaluru, Sept 17: MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar has suggested that to bring down the exorbitant cost barricading – estimated to cost around Rs 1.3 to Rs 1.5 crore per kilometre – railway lines could be used to construct fences on Tuesday.
Wadiyar took to X to share the letter he had sent to Union Environment Forest & Climate Change Minister Bhupendra Yadav.
Stating that “railway (lines) barricading” is proving to be an effective way to restrict the movement of elephants, he suggested that this should be taken up on a large scale.
“Upon consultation with the relevant authorities, it has come to my understanding that the cost of barricading per kilometre comes to Rs 1.3 crore to Rs 1.5 crore. Given that the border of the forests in my constituency stretches to over 400 km, with around 280 km of forest border requiring immediate barricading, the cost of such an exercise will reach Rs 350 crore to Rs 400 crore,” he wrote in his letter.
He said the environment ministry could make a direct request with the railway ministry for an allocation of railway lines, thus reducing the cost of the project to just that of labour cost.
“The benefits of this initiative are manifold, from reduction of human casualties, protection of property and livelihood, to conservation of elephants and, most importantly, promoting human-elephant coexistence, which is the need of the hour,” he added.
Working towards safer coexistence in Mysore-Kodagu! Submitted proposal to Union Environment Forest & Climate change Minister Shri Bhupendra Yadav Ji for railway barricading to reduce elephant-human conflicts. pic.twitter.com/VjOWIF1TTC
— Yaduveer Wadiyar (@yaduveerwadiyar) September 17, 2024
