Sri Narayana Guru Vichara Vedike opposes setting up development cell, demands Sri Narayana Guru Development Corporation

He terms the development cell a lip service to gain political mileage

State president of Sri Narayana Guru Vichara Vedike Satyajit Surathkal has termed the government’s decision to set up Sri Narayana Guru Development Cell as a lip service to gain political mileage.

Addressing a press conference in Kalaburagi on Monday, Mr. Surathkal said that the long-pending demand of the Billava and Idiga communities was to set up Sri Narayana Guru Development Corporation and not the Cell. The Backward Classes Welfare Department last month had issued an order announcing the setting up of Sri Narayana Guru Development Cell for the overall development of 26 castes, including Idiga, who are in the Backward Classes 2A category.

“The two Idiga Ministers in the State Cabinet, Kota Srinivas Poojary and V. Sunil Kumar, should resign from their post if the government is ignoring our long-pending demand to set up a development corporation in the name of Sri Narayana Guru. Let the State government remove both the Ministers from the Cabinet and release ₹500 crore for the setting up of the development corporation,” he added.

He also urged Karnataka government to lift the ban on toddy tapping in the state.

Condemning the BJP government’s decision to exclude the tableau of the social reformer Sri Narayana Guru in the Republic Day parade this year, Mr. Surathkal said that the government has also insulted the community by removing the contents on Sri Narayana Guru from the textbook of class 10. The community will teach the BJP a lesson in the upcoming assembly elections, if they fail to address our long pending demand, Mr. Suratkhal added.

The vedike would organising a public meeting on January 29 in Mangaluru.