Siddaramaiah condemned BJP government’s move to curtail powers of KSBCC

Siddaramaiah condemned BJP government’s move to curtail powers of KSBCC

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, April 10: Leader of the opposition party in the Karnataka state assembly, Siddaramaiah has strongly condemned BJP government’s move to curtail the powers of the Karnataka State Backward Class Commission terming it as a fascist move by Chief Minister B.S.Yedyurappa. 

 

 

 

Speaking to media here on Saturday, Siddaramaih said that he will organize state wide agitation against the state government’s move to downgrade the powers and status of Chairman and members of backward class commission by amending the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes Commission Act, 1995 .


The Leader of the Opposition opined that the state government has no power to amend the act as it was set by the order of constitutional bench of the Supreme Court. The move of the present BJP government shows the fascist nature of the government and total disrespect to concept social justice, he alleged.

The State Government has reduced the rank of the Chairman from that of High Court judge to a Minister and also reduced the emoluments of its five members. The powers of the member-secretary of the commission have been significantly enhanced, much to the chagrin of the current Chairman, C.S. Dwarakanath, who was a senior advocate and journalist. The government notification issued in this regard on April 3 runs contrary to the provisions of the amended Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1995 stipulating that the Chairman must be someone “who is or has been a judge of the High Court or who is eligible to be appointed as a judge of the High Court, or a social scientist”.

 

 

For the last two years the BJP government completely neglected recommendation of the backward class commission to increase the ceiling of income of candidates who are applying for job as the central government enhanced upper income limit to 4.5 lakh rupees, Siddaramaih said. The government neither rejected the recommendation nor accepted it, he alleged. More importantly, the government has not taken any interest in caste wise census initiated by backward commission in the state even though fund for caste wise census laying unutilized for several years, he explained.

The state budget for the year 2005-06 released two crore rupees and union government was also 23 c rupees, he added. 

White Paper on Power sector:

Siddaramaiah has demanded the government to come out with white paper on facts and figures of power sector soon. There is a power cut on every alternative hour in coastal Karnataka and rural area the power situation is worst, he said.