Arya Ediga Community seer Pranavananda Swamiji declared an indefinite hunger protest in front of Deputy Commissioner’s office in Kalaburagi from June 20 to demand the State government to allow the Edigas to sell hooch.
Addressing a press conference in Yadgir on Wednesday, Swamiji said that the selling of hooch is a clan business of Edigas. But, the State government has presently imposed a ban on selling hooch. Therefore, the majority of the families from the Ediga community have been suffering difficulties even to meet family needs. “Thus, I conducted a padayatra of 128 kilometer in Kalaburagi district to demand the State government to lift the ban on selling hooch. But, however, there was no favourable decision by the government. Hence, I have now decided to conduct an indefinite hunger protest to solve this issue,” he explained.
He said that including Actor Suman and MLA U.T. Khader, Gulihatti Shekhar and former Minister Malikayya Guttedar, around 500 people from the Ediga community are expected to take part in the protest. “If anything goes wrong, the State government is responsible,” he warned.
Referring to the protest by Vamliki Swamiji in Freedom Park, he said that it is a sad state on part of the government that it was not responding properly to Swamiji who is sitting dharna for 120 days, demanding to increase reservation for Scheduled Tribe communities. “We the Ediga community people have seven MLA’s and two cabinet ministers in the present government among them. However, the response from them to our demand is very poor” he expressed.
The Swamiji also urged the State government to name after former Chief Minister S. Bangarappa to Shivamogga Airport which is shortly going to be opened for travellers.
Nagarajgowda Manasagal, district president of community, Venkatesh Gondenur, Balaji, Mallayya Guttedar, Basayya Guttedar, Ramayya Guttedar, Ravindra Mundaragi, Saibaba Kalal, Kumarswamy Kalal and others were present.
