‘We are deprived, not fools’: Siddaramaiah on internal reservation, recalls role in Parameshwara’s elevation | Bengaluru News
BENGALURU: Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday claimed he had played a key role in making senior Congress leader G Parameshwara the deputy chief minister in the present state government, while reaffirming his commitment to internal reservation and social justice.Speaking at a seminar on internal reservation organised by the Social Justice and Internal Reservation Struggle Committee, Siddaramaiah said there had initially been discussions about appointing four or five deputy chief ministers before he pushed for giving the opportunity to Parameshwara.“Do you know who made G Parameshwara Deputy CM in the present government? They were thinking of making four or five people Deputy CMs. Who said one person should be given the opportunity?” he said.Siddaramaiah also highlighted his government’s decision to introduce reservation in promotions, claiming Karnataka was the only state to have implemented such a provision.He recalled that a committee headed by then Chief Secretary Ratnaprabha was constituted to examine the issue, following which its recommendations were incorporated into law. The provision was challenged in court but ultimately upheld, he said.“Is there reservation in promotion in any other state? When Ratnaprabha was Chief Secretary, we formed a committee under her chairmanship, got a report and implemented it as law. It was challenged in court, but the verdict came in our favour. Only in Karnataka is there reservation in promotion,” Siddaramaiah said.He also recalled facing protests from members of the same community despite his efforts on social justice and internal reservation.“Even after I did all this, many present here in this meeting itself had shouted slogans against me before implementing internal reservation,” he said, urging members of oppressed communities to distinguish between those supporting their cause and their opponents.Siddaramaiah said his commitment to internal reservation, the reservation system and social justice would continue irrespective of whether he held political power.“I am not the head of the government now; I have no power in my hands. But I am a person who is for internal reservation, for the reservation system, for social justice. I have never compromised on this issue in the past and will never compromise in the future,” he said.He said people from oppressed communities should understand who genuinely supports their interests.“Reservation must be given to those who have been exploited as a result of the caste system and who have been denied opportunities. We are not fools; we are the deprived. We did not get an opportunity to showcase our intelligence. The reservation system is providing that opportunity,” Siddaramaiah said.Senior Congress leader G Parameshwara had taken oath as deputy chief minister as part of Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s Cabinet.
