“I will no longer participate in the agitation for reservation for the Panchamasali community as the demand has already been fulfilled,” BJP leader and MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal said in Vijayapura on Tuesday.
He said that there is no point in the agitation now, as the BJP government has already issued an order providing for reservation to the community by including them in the 2A OBC category.
“We have issued orders when we were in power. What is left for the Congress government is to implement it. If the seer, Sri Basava Jaya Mrutyunjay Swami, wants to go ahead with the agitation, let him lead it. But I will not join it. Do I have nothing else to do?’‘ he said.
“Several Panchamasali leaders have been elected this time from the Congress. Lakshmi Hebbalkar has become a Minister. Others like Vinay Kulkarni and Vijayanand Kashappanavar have become MLAs. Let them continue the agitation, if they want to,” he said.
“During the BJP government, Mr. Kashappanavar was demanding 15% reservation for Panchamasalis alone. Then, he did not realise that it was impossible. Now, I challenge him to get it approved,” Mr. Yatnal said.
