With elections approaching, various organizations put forth their demands in a series of press conferences held today.
Sexual minorities demand reservation and inclusion. Farmers demand implementation of the Swaminathan report. Artisans demand socio-economic empowerment. The Madiga community demands welfare of marginalized groups.
While the gender and sexual minorities (GSM) community and farmers in the state extended their support to the Indian National Congress (INC), the Akhil Bharatiya Vishwakarma Mahasangh stood with the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP). Meanwhile the Karnataka Adijambava (Madiga) Organization, urged citizens to press ‘None of the Above’ (NOTA).
Manohar Elavarthi, an activist from the gender and sexual minorities community said that their support to the INC candidates should not be viewed as favouring one party over another for political reasons. “For us, upholding the constitution and the democratic and secular nature of the country is important. And in today’s scenario, only Congress has the best-placed candidates to defeat the anti-democratic and anti-constitutional BJP,” he said. Our support to Congress is for the greater good of the country and not just the gender and sexual minorities community, he added.
Sana, a transwoman activist, said that while political party manifestos have made attempts to include gender and sexual minorities, they have not fully addressed the demands of the community. “We demand one percent reservation for transgender persons in government jobs and educational institutions across India. We also demand one percent of seats in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies to be reserved for transgender persons, where they are elected by transgender community voters,” she said. The other demands included the formation of the National Gender and Sexual Minorities Finance and Development Corporation with an annual allocation of Rs. 10,000 crore. They also proposed the formation of a National Gender and Sexual Minorities Commission and the introduction of a comprehensive anti-discrimination law to prevent and punish human rights violations based on sex characteristics, gender identity, and sexual preference.
The Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) called for overthrowing the BJP government in the upcoming elections due to what they see as a betrayal of farmers’ interests. Tomorrow, bike rallies will be held in all assembly constituencies to encourage the public to vote against the BJP, members from the KRRS said.
G.A. Laxmi Narayana Gowda, State President of KRRS, questioned why the BJP-led central government waived off loans of about Rs. 30 lakh crore for corporate companies, yet failed to address the Rs. 5 lakh crore loans burdening farmers across the country. He also criticized the government for not fulfilling its promise to implement the Swaminathan report, which would ensure fair prices for farmers’ crops, and for not enacting minimum support price (MSP).
Gowda also raised concerns about the hasty enactment of the Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020, during the COVID crisis, which he believes was designed to take control of farmers’ land and crops.
Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise to double farmers’ income, he decided to remove subsidies on agricultural inputs. This led to increased cultivation costs and decreased farmers’ income, Gowda said.
N.G. Ramachandran, General Secretary, KRRS, said, “BJP-led central government is playing vendetta politics by withholding drought relief funds from Karnataka. We expect the central government to release the funds within a week.”
The Karnataka Adijambava (Madiga) Organization highlighted concerns regarding the integrity of the electoral process and urged voters to opt for NOTA over other political parties, as no political party has taken steps to uplift the marginalized communities, they said.
Dr. Bhimaraj, the organization’s state president criticized the central government for failing to address the social and economic injustices faced by marginalized communities, particularly the Scheduled Castes/Classes. “A lack of proper allocation of resources and the absence of effective schemes hinders our economic empowerment,” he said.
Murthy .N, Vice President of the organization addressed the demand for political reservation for backward communities.
The Karnataka Adijambava (Madiga) Organization was established by the Government of Karnataka in 2018 to bring social justice by implementing government schemes, programmes and policies effectively for the economic empowerment of Madiga and related communities under the Scheduled Caste category.
Jayant K. M., State President of Akhil Bharatiya Vishwakarma Mahasangh (ABVM) said their organization extends support to the BJP party in the upcoming Lok Sabha election and beyond. By choosing to install Arun Yogiraj’s (who is a part of ABVM) sculpted Ram idol at the Ayodhya Ram temple, the BJP has given widespread recognition to their association, he said.
Through the introduction of the Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma scheme in September, PM Modi has taken a step towards the betterment of sculptors, carpenters, and other artisans throughout the country, he added.
He also said that the association trusts the BJP to bring their community to the mainstream by engaging with challenges in the path of their development, such as financial; and threats posed by modernisation and mechanisation. He said that he hopes that with the BJP in power, their community will no longer remain marginalised.
The first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka is set to be held on Apr. 26.
Amisha Mohite, Arunima Pal, Mansi Jagani and Steffy Maria Paul contributed to the story.
