Dalit Sangharsh Samiti (DSS) members staged a protest in Jamkhandi on Tuesday against BJP leader and MLA Jagadish Gudagunti for saying reservation has to be done away with to ensure prosperity of the nation.
They said that Mr. Gudagunti had, in a public meeting in Siddapura village, given a call to backward communities to shun reservation and strive to come up in life on merit alone.
Demanding that the MLA seek a public apology, they gathered in front of his house and shouted slogans. However, the police dispersed them later.
A video clip of the MLA making a speech at a felicitation function in Siddapura is being shared widely on social media.
In the video, he says that some communities are fighting for reservation thinking that there are some incidental benefits to it. “Once you throw it [reservation] away, you will see that all communities will rise to become top class,” he says in the video.
Meanwhile, another protest was held at Desai Circle in Jamkhandi on Wednesday morning.
DSS leader Suraj Kudrani said that the MLA has made anti-Constitutional remarks and he has to face legal consequences for his statement.
He should realise that reservation is among the most significant tools to achieve equality among communities in society. It has provided a ladder to millions to get education and employment and escape exploitation, he said. The MLA should not trivialise it by saying some communities are demanding it for incidental benefits, he added.
DSS leader Parashuram Kamble said that the MLA’s statement only showed the anti-Dalit and anti-backward class mindset of the BJP and the Sangh Parivar.
“The MLA should realise that he has also benefited from various social welfare measures such as reservation, land redistribution, free and subsidised education and healthcare in public institutions,” he said.
