Karnataka CM Bommai calls Hubballi violence a 'big conspiracy'
Hubballi(PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday called the recent violence in the city over an alleged social media post, a 'big conspiracy' and said his government has taken the incident seriously.
He was responding to reporters' query on the action taken against those involved in arson and violence here after an objectionable post surfaced on the social media on April 16.
If a police station was attacked in an organised manner by a mob then it is a serious matter. We are investigating the role of various organisations. Already our police have recorded their statements. In the next few days we will expose those who were behind it, the CM said.
Asked whether the government would initiate bull-dozer kind of action, Bommai said there are various ways of taking action. We had adopted strong measures in the wake of DJ-Halli and KG Halli violence in Bengaluru. "It will be a Karnataka model," he added.
Amid a rise in COVID cases in parts of the country, Bommai said, The Centre has issued directions to be cautious with regard to COVID. For the past eight to 10 days, cases are on the rise here and there, especially in Kerala and Maharashtra. Hence, the Prime Minister himself will address the chief ministers through video conference on the COVID situation in the country and the measures to be taken. Taking lessons from the three COVID-19 waves in the past, experts have stressed on the need to be careful, the Chief Minister said. He added that a COVID-19 protocol will be prepared to tackle the disease.
Reacting to another question on the alleged bomb threats received by some schools in the city about a fortnight ago, Bommai said every aspect of it is being investigated.
He said officials have been directed to probe it thoroughly to ascertain where the email originated from and who sent it.
We have taken it very seriously. We will go to the bottom of the case, the chief Minister said.
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Karnataka caste census report likely to be placed before cabinet on Jan 16
Bengaluru (PTI): With the Socio-Economic and Education Survey report, popularly known as the 'caste census,' likely to be placed before the state cabinet on January 16, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara stressed that its contents should be made public.
He said, any decision based on the report is the prerogative of the government and it will be taken after analysing it.
Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes under its then Chairman K Jayaprakash Hegde had submitted the report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on February 29 last year, amid objections raised by certain sections of society and voices against it from within ruling Congress.
"It was decided the sealed cover (of report) will be opened before the cabinet, otherwise it may lead to leakage of information....whether there will be a discussion on it or not, I cannot speak about it now, once opened at least abstract information will be known to us," Parameshwara told reporters here replying to a question.
To a question on the opposition from certain dominant sections to the report and implementation of its recommendations, he said, the government has got the report after spending Rs 160 crore tax payers money, it should at least be made public, taking action based on it is secondary.
"Taking action based on it is left to the discretion of the government, the government will ultimately decide. But at least the information from the report that was prepared by spending Rs 160 crore, should come out. So there is a demand that what is there in the report be made public," he added.
What is happening now is bringing out the information from the report, the Home Minister said.
Karnataka's two dominant communities -- Vokkaliags and Lingayats -- have expressed reservations about the survey done, calling it "unscientific", and have demanded that it be rejected and a fresh survey be conducted.
The commission headed by Jayaprakash Hegde had said that the report was prepared based on data collected by 1.6 lakh officials, including 1.33 lakh teachers under the leadership of respective Deputy Commissioners of the districts across the state.
The then Siddaramaiah-led Congress government (2013-2018) had in 2015 commissioned the survey in the state.
The state Backward Classes Commission under its then chairperson Kantharaju was tasked with preparing a caste census report. The survey work was completed in 2018, towards the end of Siddaramaiah's first tenure as Chief Minister. The findings of the survey in the form of a report never came out in public thereafter.
With strong disapproval from the two politically influential communities the survey report may turn out to be a political hot potato for the government, as it may set the stage for a confrontation, with Dalits and OBCs among others demanding for it to be made public.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress president, and a Vokkaliga, was a signatory, along with a couple of other ministers, to a memorandum submitted by the community to the chief minister earlier, requesting that the report and the data be rejected.
All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, the apex body of Veerashaiva-Lingayats, which has also expressed its disapproval vis-a-vis the survey and demanded conduct of a fresh survey, is headed by veteran Congress leader and MLA Shamanuru Shivashankarappa. Several Lingayat ministers and MLAs too have raised objections.
According to some reports, findings of the survey are allegedly contrary to the "traditional perception" with regard to the numerical strength of various castes in Karnataka, especially Lingayats and Vokkaligas, making it a politically sticky issue.
