Deadline looms for Kantharaju report amidst growing protests

In Belagavi, protests have intensified demanding the implementation of a 2A reservation for the Panchamasali community. The Karnataka Depressed Communities Mahasangha has issued a strong warning, insisting that the Kantharaju Commission’s report be presented in the ongoing legislative session. Failing this, they threaten to hold a ‘Belagavi Chalo’ protest on the 18^th. At a joint press conference in Bengaluru, DSS Mavalli Shankar, former Minister B.T. Lalitha Nayak, Oppressed Community General Secretary Ennigere Venkataramaiah, and other leaders from the Karnataka Depressed Communities Maha Sangha and State Backward Castes Federation expressed their concerns. They condemned the delay in tabling the Kantharaju report and called for immediate action. Mavalli Shankar, addressing the media, said, “For the past three years, we’ve been pressing the government to release the Kantharaju survey report. The document must be made public to ensure social justice for the downtrodden, who are being exploited by dominant communities. There was resistance when caste data was discussed in the census, and even now, there are efforts to prevent caste-based enumeration.” He further stated that the Mandal Commission’s recommendations are still relevant, as many communities continue to live in poverty and social exclusion. Shankar concluded with a stern warning, reiterating that if the report is not presented in this session, the ‘Belagavi Chalo’ protest will take place.