The story so far: At the Cabinet meeting in Karnataka on Friday, the BJP government did away with the nearly three-decade-old 4% reservation for Muslims in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category and distributed it equally among the Veerashaiva-Lingayats and Vokkaligas, two dominant land-owning communities in the State, at 2% each. Quick on its heels, the government also accorded internal reservation for 101 Scheduled Castes (SC). Both these decisions have come under intense political debate.
How has OBC and SC reservation changed?
The Cabinet decided to exclude Muslims from the OBC category and scrapped the 4% reservation given to them under Category 2B.
This has been divided equally among Vokkaligas and Veerashaiva-Lingayats for whom new categories of 2C and 2D have been created respectively. Following the change, the reservation quantum for Vokkaligas and others in the group went up from 4% to 6% and for Veerashaiva-Lingayats and others in the group, from 5% to 7%.
Earlier, the two communities were under 3A and 3B respectively, which stand scrapped.
The Cabinet also recommended internal reservation among the 101 SCs, a long pending demand of the SC (left) faction to the Union Government. Of the 17% reservation given to SCs in Karnataka, it has sliced up 6% to SC (left), 5.5% to SC (right), 4.5 % to SC (touchable) and 1% to SC (others).
While the basis for internal reservation was the recommendation of the A. J. Sadashiva Commission report of 2012 when reservation to SCs was pegged at 15%, the Government has adjusted the share, based on a Cabinet sub-committee report, as per the new reservation quota that has been hiked to 17%.
How are Muslims losing out?
The BJP, which does not count Muslims among its voter base, has scrapped the reservation for Muslims, arguing that backward classes reservation is not based on religion.
Since 1995, the community has been given 4% reservation under Category 2B on grounds of being socially and educationally backward. Since the community has now lost its social and educational backwardness reservation status, it can claim reservation under the 10% quota for Economically Weaker Sections. This change has to be approved by the Centre.
However, Christians, Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists and converted Christians continue to remain in the backward classes category.
Also, nomadic Muslims in Category 1 continue to remain there.
Why was such a decision made?
The BJP, which draws strength from the numerically-strong Panchamasalis, a sub-sect among Veerashaiva-Lingayats, was under pressure as the community led by Kudalasangama Seer Sri Jayamruthyunjaya Swami has been agitating for two years seeking 2A status in the OBC list for the community. As far as Vokkaligas are concerned, the decision came much before they mounted any serious pressure on the BJP who is struggling to break into the Old Mysore region, which is the Vokkaliga heartland.
What is the likely political fallout?
While the BJP leaders argue that the OBC reservation quota cannot be extended based on religion, experts argue that Muslims were included based on the recommendations by the L.G. Havanur and Chinnappa Reddy Commissions constituted earlier. The Sachar Committee report also recommends the same. Legally, it is pointed out that any addition or deletion of a community from the reservation matrix should be based on an empirical study by the Karnataka Backward Classes Commission. No study was undertaken to exclude Muslims nor was the commission’s final report submitted to argue for enhancement of reservation for Vokkaligas and Veerashaiava-Lingayats. In fact, the Commission has not even started work on the Vokkaliga demand.
However, the splitting of the Muslim reservation equally among Vokkaligas and Veerashaiva-Lingayats does not meet the demands of the two communities. While Vokkaligas had demanded 12% reservation based on population, the Panchamsalis had demanded 2A status that has a 15% quota. Now Panchamsalis will have to continue their fight for their share with other relatively well off and educated Veerashaiva-Lingayat sub-sects in the new category. Political pundits say it is too early to judge how these decisions will pan out in the electoral arena.
- The BJP government did away with the nearly three-decade-old 4% reservation for Muslims in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category and distributed it equally among the Veerashaiva-Lingayats and Vokkaligas, two dominant land-owning communities in the State, at 2% each
- The BJP, which does not count Muslims among its voter base, has scrapped the reservation for Muslims, arguing that backward classes reservation is not based on religion. However, Christians, Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists and converted Christians continue to remain in the backward classes category
- While the BJP leaders argue that the OBC reservation quota cannot be extended based on religion, experts argue that Muslims were included based on the recommendations by the L.G. Havanur and Chinnappa Reddy Commissions constituted earlier.
