Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ruled out the possibility of the Congress entering into an alliance with the JD(S) in future.
Mr. Siddaramaiah, who arrived in Mysuru for the first time after the rift in the party over its alliance with the JD(S) during the recent Mayoral polls, was fielding queries from reporters over the local arrangement made by supporters of the Congress and the JD(S) in the elections to Mysuru District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Societies’ Union Ltd.
“I am not supporting it. There is no alliance between the Congress and the JD(S),” said the Congress leader.
However, he said the elections to co-operative bodies are not held on party symbols and dismissed the alliance as a local arrangement. “As far as Siddaramaiah is concerned, there is no alliance with JD (S). There will be no alliance in future also’’, he said.
Responding to queries on demands for reservation, Mr. Siddaramaiah found fault with the State government’s approach.
All such demands for reservation will have to be backed with evidence on their population, he said and referred to the caste census along with socio-economic status carried out in the State during his tenure as Chief Minister.
Though the caste census report was ready during the coalition tenure, the then Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy refused to accept it . When C. Puttaranghashetty from Chamarajanagar was Minister for Backward Classes Development, the then Chairman of the State Backward Classes Commission H. Kantharaj was ready to submit the report, but Mr. Kumaraswamy did not accept it.
Mr. Siddaramaiah criticised the BJP government for its measly allocation to different community-based development corporations. There are about 12 to 13 corporations in the State and the budgetary allocation for all of them put together is just ₹500 crore. “It is unfair that some have received as less as ₹6 crore and ₹10 crore. When I was the Chief Minister, I had given D Devaraj Urs Developement Corporation for Backward Classes ₹414 crore. Now, the corporation has been given just ₹60 crore’’, he said before accusing the BJP Government of having no moral right to talk about social justice.
