Clearly out to woo the Dalits, who form a decisive 23 per cent of the state's population, outnumbering even the Vokkaligas and Lingayats, Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda on Friday announced that eight educational institutions of global standards would be built for their benefit across Karnataka.
Stressing that the BJP was committed to their upliftment, he said the government would build the institutions within a year. Mr Gowda was addressing a mammoth ‘Swabhimana Samavesha’ organised by the BJP SC Morcha in Mysore, at a cost Rs 3 crore as the party goes full steam ahead with its plans to tap the Dalit votebank ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls.
BJP State president K.S. Eshwarappa , who also addressed the nearly 80,000 Dalits present at the samavesha, claimed attempts were being made to convert Dalits to Islam and Christianity by the Congress which was misleading people in the name of reservation.
"The Ranganath Mishra Commission report, which recommends providing reservation for Dalits who have embraced other religious, is a gross injustice to OBCs. If its recommendations are implemented the Dalits who dont convert will be affected," he warned.
Former BJP Rajya Sabha member K.B. Shanappa took everyone by surprise when he expressed concern over infighting within the state BJP.
Mr Shanappa said: “Though we were not in power, the BJP was a party with a difference when I joined it in 2004. But now, after getting a go at power, there is no unity among the leaders, which is not good for the party”.