Karnataka Prime Minister BS Yediyurappa has gotten into trouble after announcing the Maratha Development Board. While pro-Kannada groups, the Tulu-speaking population of the Karnataka coast are agitating against this decision, more than 25 castes / religions are demanding their own board.
After the massive demand from the mainstream Veerashaiva Lingayat community, the prime minister announced a meeting for them as well. Now another ruling caste, Vokkaligas, is also demanding a board, and likewise Kuruba, Valmiki, Kodava, Christian, Jain and other communities are also increasing the demand to create corporations for them.
Earlier this week, several pro-Kannada organizations staged a protest in Bengaluru demanding that the government withdraw the proposal from the Maratha board.
“The government must withdraw the order to establish the Maratha Development Board before November 27, otherwise we will organize a statewide and Karnataka bandh uproar on December 5,” said Kannada Okkuta President Vatal Nagaraj , during the protest.
Former BJP minister and national secretary general CT Ravi, in defense, has said that there is nothing wrong with setting up a board for Marathas in Karnataka. “What’s wrong with setting up the Maratha development board? When the minority development authority was created, no one had a problem, why now? In Karnataka, the Kannadigas are supreme, but there is nothing wrong with establishing a board for the Maratha community ”, he justified.
According to the 2011 census, Marathi speakers make up about 60% of the population of the Belagavi district. The district has witnessed clashes between activists from Kannada and Maratha on many occasions, due to a long-standing dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra over the territory of Belagavi.
Kannada activists have always had a problem with Maharashtra as they see the Marathas unfairly claiming their territory along the border areas and trying to establish their hegemony.
BSY’s move is seen as political appeasement, as Belagavi is running for by-elections following the death of former Union Minister Suresh Angadi. The seat of the Basavakalyan Assembly was vacated following the disappearance of Congressman B Narayan Rao. The Basava Kalyan constituency has about 30,000 Maratha voters.
In reaction to CM’s decision, former prime minister and opposition leader Siddaramaiah has said that BS Yediyurappa is trying to attract voters before the vote by creating the Maratha board. He condemned the act and also accused the government of being anti-Karnataka.
Earlier, the Yediyurappa government had announced the creation of a Kadugolla Development Corporation last month, just before the by-elections for the Sira and Raja Rajeshwari Nagar Assembly seats. The decision was seen as an effort to reach out to voters in the Golla community in Sira.
After a series of protests and criticism, the CM reacted by saying: “The Maratha board is for the development of the Maratha community and not for the development of the Marathi language. The priority of our government is always for Kannadigas and Karnataka. Those who protest are politically motivated. “
However, the problem does not seem to stop, as many other communities are demanding new boards and the Lingayats demand a 16% reserve in government positions. If the situation continues to be critical, BS Yediyurappa may have to withdraw the Maratha board’s proposal and it will surely affect them in the upcoming by-elections for the Belagavi Parliament constituency and Basava Kalyan constituency.
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