From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Apr 10: Karnataka Pradesh Kurubara Sangha is organising a twin programme of Halumatha Mahasabha centenary and Kurubas awareness convention at Davanagare on May 6.

A large number of people are expected to participate in this year’s conference, which is being held after six years since the last conference held in 1996, Congress leader and former minister H M Revanna said.

Kurubas constitute the third biggest caste group in Karnataka with a population of over 60 lakhs.

The venue for the centenary programme would be named after Hakka and Bukka, who founded the Vijayanagara empire.

Pointing out that the number of MLAs from the Kuruba community was a record 18, thanks to the support extended by the former chief minister D Devaraj Urs to the backward classes, Revanna said the number of Kuruba legislators in the present assembly was barely four.

The Bharatiya Janata Party government had reduced the number of zilla panchayat seats and taluk panchayats to Kurubas by 109 and 480 respectively, he alleged.

The Congress leader alleged that the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah had sanctioned Rs 2 lakh to the Karnataka Backward Classes Commission for conducting a caste survey in the State for which the union government also sanctioned Rs 22 crore.

An elaborate questionnaire was ready, enumerators were appointed and it was launched, but came to a sudden a halt due to BJP government’s lack of political will.

Asked whether the conference would pass a resolution urging the Congress party to project Siddaramaiah as the chief ministerial candidate in the Assembly elections, Revanna said such issues had not been discussed.
 
An engineering college and para medical college at Mysore and Kanaka Bhavans would be built, he said.

The Association was bringing out 12 books on various aspects of the Kuruba/Halumatha movement in the State.