BANGALORE, April 11 (DHNS)

Even as the State Government is yet to recover from the shock over the demand for separate north Karnataka State, the Dalit leaders today threatened to launch a struggle for separate state for Dalits in Karnataka if the government failed to cancel the February 3 GO restricting reservation in promotions to SC/STs immediately. Addressing a press conference here today, office-bearers of the Dalits, Backward Classes and Minorities‘ Reservation Protection Federation, alleged that the government had failed to protect the interests of Dalits. Instead of helping the Dalits, who have been oppressed for ages together, to come to the mainstream, the upper castes were trying to snatch their Constitutional rights, the leaders alleged. The government had failed to ensure that all the Constitutional rights of the Dalits were protected. Besides, it had also failed to prevent atrocities on Dalits, they alleged. "If the government fail to protect our constitutional rights by squashing the anti-Dalit GO of February 3, we will be left with no other alternative, but to demand a separate state for Dalits," the leaders declared.

DH News Service

BANGALORE, April 11

The Dalits, Backward Classes and Minorities‘ Reservation Protection Federation today threatened to boycott the 108^th birth anniversary celebrations of Dr B R Ambedkar on April 14 if the government failed to withdraw the February 3 order on restricting reservation in promotions to SC/ STs in its Cabinet meeting likely to be held on April 12.

Addressing a press conference here, Federation President D M Thimmarayappa and Working President D G Sagar said the Dalit activists would not allow the government to hold Ambedkar Jayanthi celebrations anywhere in the State if the GO was not withdrawn. The Dalits would not even allow the ministers and government representatives to garland the statues of Ambedkar, he added. He alleged that the government was practising delay-tactics and dilly-dallying over the demand for withdrawal of the February 3 GO, which was "anti-Dalit". If the government is not willing to safegurad the interests of Dalits, what moral right does it have to celebrate the Ambedkar Jayanthi," he wondered.

Expressing displeasure over the decision taken by the Cabinet to modify the Februray 3 GO, Mr Sagar urged the government to withdraw the GO itself. The Dalits were also not ready to accept the government‘s decision of filling the backlog vacancies from 1992 onwards, he said and demanded that backlog should be considered from 1978. Steps should be also taken to fill the backlog vacancies within a stipulated time, he said.

23 pc RESERVATION: Mr Sagar urged the government to provide reservation to Dalits on the basis of their population. He pointed out that the decision to provide 18 per cent reservation to SC/STs had been taken on the basis of population of these communities in 1951 when these communities formed 18 per cent of the entire population of the country. But, now their population had inceased to 23 per cent of the total pupulation of the country, he said and demanded that even reservation to these communities should be increased to 23 per cent.

Federation Organising Secretary Lakshminarayana Nagawara said Dalits would launch serious agitation against the Dalit ministers seeking their resignation if the GO was not withdrawn.

HAILS CABINET DECISION: The Federation welcomed the Cabinet decision to provide reservation in promotions to backward classes. Pointing out that the reservation to backward classes and minorities was also one of the demands of the Federation, Mr Sagar termed the decision as a first victory to the Federation.