Chitradurga: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has said the state government will seek a legal opinion on granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Golla and Kadu Golla communities after the Centre rejected its proposal.
Speaking at an event in Hiriyur, Shivakumar said the matter would be taken up again in the state Cabinet after the Model Code of Conduct is lifted. The government would explore possible legal options to address the issue, he said.
He claimed that the ethnographic study report on the Kadu Golla community had been submitted to the Centre four to five times, including during the tenure of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, but the proposal had been rejected each time. He termed the decision an injustice to the community.
Shivakumar also questioned whether former prime minister H D Deve Gowda had fulfilled his election promise to secure ST certificates for the Kadu Golla community.
He said around 40,000 members of the community lived in Hiriyur constituency, while more than 1.5 lakh resided in neighbouring constituencies. The government was committed to ensuring equal treatment for all communities, he added.
Shivakumar said the state government had set a target of distributing five lakh residential sites to poor families across Karnataka this year. In Hiriyur, land was being identified to provide sites to 10,000 eligible families. Ministers G Parameshwara and Zameer Ahmed Khan had been assigned responsibility for the initiative.
He said ₹2,500 crore had been secured for Hiriyur’s development. The government had also ordered the release of ₹5 crore towards the construction of Vokkaligara Bhavana, which is estimated to cost ₹12 crore. A ₹100-crore underground drainage project had also been launched in the city.
The government was providing financial assistance through the SC/ST Welfare Department to help young people start businesses, purchase vehicles, drill borewells and set up retail outlets, besides seeking private-sector employment, he added.
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