The alleged immoral conduct by heads of certain religious institutions is a matter of concern as it indicates a “moral crisis” and the society needs to take it seriously, Belagavi Zilla Akhil Brahman Samaj president and senior advocate S.M. Kulkarni has said.
“We will discuss the issue at the State-level conference of the Akhila Karnataka Brahmin Mahasabha to be held soon,” he told presspersons here on Monday.
The two-day conference, scheduled to be held in Belagavi from November 28, had been postponed in view of the farm suicides, the agitation by farmers in the North Karnataka region and prevailing drought conditions, Mr. Kulkarni said. A fresh schedule would be announced soon, he said.
Mr. Kulkarni said that the immoral acts of religious and spiritual heads would have a serious impact on the morale of society.
The sangha would consider demanding reservation for Brahmins, who were deprived of welfare schemes initiated by the government owing to the perception that they belonged to the elite sections of society. There was a substantial population of poor people among them and also those who face unemployment problems and lack of opportunities.
Samaj spokesman S.L. Kulkarni said Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandra Babu Naidu established a Brahmin Welfare Corporation Limited with a corpus fund of Rs. 600 crore. “We expect the Karnataka government to support poor and marginalised Brahmins for their overall development.”
However, Mr. Kulkarni said that if the government ignored Brahmins, they would explore the options of floating their own corporation by tapping the resources of rich members and non-resident Indians belonging to the community.
Other issues to be discussed include counselling sessions for students on selecting appropriate academic course as the neglect of basic science and arts subjects had led to lack of good teachers in schools and colleges.
