Mangaluru: Satyajith Surathkal, state president of Sri Narayana Guru Vichara Vedike, has urged chief minister DK Shivakumar and KPCC president BK Hariprasad to include at least two ministers from the Billava community for the remaining one-and-a-half-year of the govt.Expressing gratitude to the Congress for appointing a senior community leader, BK Hariprasad, as the KPCC president, Satyajith said that it was a great honour for the community. “Our community has given a finance minister to the nation as well as chief ministers and many ministers to the state. In the previous government in Karnataka, there were at least two ministers from the community. The number of ministers from the community has reduced to one in the govt that came to power in 2023,” he said, urging the CM and KPCC president to consider the demand of the community.He also pointed out that during the elections, an annual allocation of Rs 500 crore was promised to the Sri Narayana Guru Development Corporation, which was formed for the development of 26 communities. “However, in the last three years, the govt appointed chairman for the corporation and set up an office, but no funds have been released yet. The govt should have released Rs 1,500 crore in three years. Since no funds have been released, the community could not achieve adequate progress educationally and economically,” he noted.“We request you to fulfil the promise made to the community by releasing this money which is essential for the development of the community,” Satyajith said, and warned that the vedike in collaboration with all organisations of the community will be forced to hold protests if the govt fails to release funds for the corporation.
