V.S. Ugrappa seeks inclusion of Karnataka Reservation Act, 2022 in the Ninth Schedule
Bengaluru: V.S. Ugrappa, president of the Karnataka Rajya Valmiki Samana Manaskara Vedike, on Sunday demanded that the Karnataka State Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes Reservation Act, 2022 be included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Ugrappa said the Act, which enhanced reservation to 56%, must be protected from judicial scrutiny by placing it in the Ninth Schedule. He said a letter has been written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah urging the state government to press the Centre to include the Act in the Ninth Schedule and to amend Articles 15 and 16 to strengthen reservation provisions.
Ugrappa alleged that whenever Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Karnataka, he misleads the public by promising inclusion of certain castes in the Scheduled Tribe category. He claimed this has led to a rise in fake caste certificates and said the BJP leadership and government are responsible for the situation.
Referring to the upcoming Union Budget, which he said may cross ₹4 lakh crore, Ugrappa alleged that funds earmarked for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were being diverted for other purposes, despite legal provisions barring such diversion. He demanded that Union Ministers from Karnataka and former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai take responsibility for safeguarding the interests of marginalised communities.
He pointed out that Tamil Nadu has successfully implemented a higher reservation percentage and criticised the Centre for introducing economic reservation for upper castes, stating that Dr B.R. Ambedkar had not envisaged economic criteria for reservation. He questioned the disparity in income limits for scholarships, noting that the limit for economically weaker sections among upper castes is ₹8.5 lakh, while it is only ₹2.5 lakh for SC and ST students.
Ugrappa recalled that during the previous BJP government, reservation was increased to 7% for Scheduled Tribes, 15% for Scheduled Castes and 32% for Other Backward Classes following sustained agitation. However, he said vested interests challenged the move in court, leading the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal to strike down the Act and the High Court to stay its implementation, effectively cancelling the enhanced reservation.
While welcoming the resolution passed in the Belagavi legislature session seeking inclusion of the Reservation Act, 2022 in the Ninth Schedule, Ugrappa expressed dissatisfaction that the Centre has not acted on it even after a month.
He also raised concern over the growing number of fake caste certificates in the state, stating that it was causing injustice to genuine beneficiaries. He demanded strict action against both those who obtained fake certificates and officials who issued them.
Several leaders and representatives of Valmiki community organisations and social groups were present at the press conference.
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US, India share a historic bond: President Trump in R-Day message
New Delhi (PTI): The United States and India share a historic bond as the world's oldest and largest democracies, US President Donald Trump said on Monday as he greeted India on its 77th Republic Day celebrations.
Trump's greetings came amid continuing strain in ties between the two countries over a range of issues, including Washington's policies on trade and tariffs.
"On behalf of the people of the United States, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the government and people of India as you celebrate your 77th Republic Day," the US president said.
"The United States and India share a historic bond as the world's oldest and largest democracies," he added.
Trump's message was put out on social media by the US embassy in New Delhi.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also extended greetings to India on the occasion of the Republic Day and said the two nations share a "historic bond".
"From our close cooperation on defense, energy, critical minerals, and emerging technologies to our multi-layered engagement through the Quad, the US-India relationship delivers real results for our two countries and for the Indo-Pacific region," he said.
"I look forward to working together to advance our shared objectives in the year ahead," Rubio said in a statement.
US ambassador to India Sergio Gor also greeted India after attending the Republic Day celebrations at the Kartavya Path.
"Happy Republic Day, India! Honored to attend the Republic Day Parade for the first time, a celebration of India’s Constitution and democratic spirit. Thrilled to see the US-made aircraft soaring in the Indian sky, a powerful symbol of the strength of the US-India strategic partnership," he said.
US-origin transport aircraft C-130J and Apache helicopters were among the aerial platforms that figured in the parade.
The India-US ties witnessed a major downturn after President Donald Trump slapped a whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, including a 25 per cent punitive levy over Russian oil purchases.
Both sides have held multiple rounds of negotiations last year to firm up the proposed bilateral trade deal. However, it could not be sealed yet, largely in view of Washington's demands to open up India's farm and dairy sectors.
Apart from the tariff issue, the relations came under strain on a number of other issues that included US President Donald Trump's claim of ending the India-Pakistan conflict in May last year and Washington's new immigration policy.
