Karnataka govt committed towards providing internal reservation among SCs: CM Siddaramaiah
Davangere (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said his government was committed towards providing internal reservation among Scheduled Castes (SC).
Amid speculation over a change of guard in the ruling Congress in Karnataka, he said, any decisions regarding the state Congress president or the chief minister will be taken by the party high command, and that he will decide on filling a vacant post in his cabinet in consultation with the leadership.
"The Supreme Court has said that internal reservation has to be given, but as some have said that there is no empirical data, a commission has been formed headed by (Justice) Nagmohan Das. We are committed to providing internal reservation," Siddaramaiah said in response to a question by reporters here.
The government in November had appointed retired High Court judge Justice H N Nagmohan Das to head a commission to recommend internal reservation among SCs.
A section of SCs, especially 'SC Left', have been demanding internal reservation alleging that only a few influential sub-castes were taking away a majority of the benefits while many communities were still marginalised.
In a landmark verdict delivered by the Supreme Court on August 1, 2024, it held that states are constitutionally empowered to make sub-classifications within the SCs, which form a socially heterogeneous class, for granting reservation for the uplift of castes that are socially and educationally more backward.
To a question about changing Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, Siddaramaiah said, "It will be decided by the high command, not us. KPCC president, chief minister -- everything is decided by the high command."
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who has completed four years as president of the KPCC, is currently on an extension in the post.
On filling a vacant berth in the cabinet following the resignation of Minister B Nagendra following allegations against him in the alleged Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation scam, the CM said, "...I will discuss with the high command and fill that vacancy."
Regarding the Taluk and Zilla Panchayat polls, Siddaramaiah said, the matter is before the court, it has to be decided there, and the government is ready tp conduct the polls.
To a question about him attending a dinner with select Dalit Cabinet colleagues on Thursday night that had created buzz amid speculation over leadership change, the CM said, "Is the meeting over food wrong? Won't you meet over food? Either we eat veg or non veg during food...when politicians meet over food it is painted differently, while it is not the case for others. We made it clear that we had met over food. There were no political discussions there."
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Experience comes when you play bigger teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan
Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.
However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.
"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."
