Southern States - Karnataka   

`BJP not opposed to quota for taluks outside HK too'

By Our Special Correspondent

GULBARGA May 17. B.S. Yediyurappa, MLC and member of the National Executive Committee of the BJP, today clarified that the State unit of the BJP was not opposed to extending special reservation benefits under Article 371 to backward taluks in the State other than those in the Hyderabad Karnataka region.

Addressing a press conference here, he initially accused the State Government of having let down the people of the region by including, "in the last minute", a paragraph in the memorandum submitted by it to the Union Government, stating that special reservation benefits would be extended to backward taluks identified by the High-power Committee for Redressal of Regional Imbalances.

However, when presspersons wanted to know whether the BJP was opposed to extending benefits under the Article 371 to other backward taluks, Mr. Yediyurappa said it was not, and said that the party was only exposing the "change" in the Government's stand on extending special reservation facilities to backward areas.

Asked why BJP leaders who had accompanied the high-level delegation to Delhi had not referred to the Government's "change in stand", Mr. Yediyurappa said the memorandum was revised at the last minute, and an additional paragraph, including the case of other backward taluks, were included, and the BJP leaders did not have the opportunity to oppose it.

He denied that the reaction of the State unit of the BJP was an afterthought.

Mr. Yediyurappa admitted that the BJP had failed take up the issue of non-release of water from the Ujani dam by Maharashtra into the Bheema river effectively, and said he would take up the problem of water shortage in villages on the banks of the river.

The Government should request Maharashtra to release water, he said.

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