In what could be a game changer ahead of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly elections scheduled in April-May this year, the ruling BJP government has scrapped the reservation of 4% given to Muslims in Karnataka under 2B of Other Backward Classes (OBC) category and distributed it to two dominant communities — Veerashaiva-Lingayats and Vokkaligas — at 2% each in jobs and admissions in educational institutions.
With the State Cabinet decision, the quota under the newly-created categories of 2C and 2D among the backward classes for Vokkaligas and Veerashaiva-Lingayats has increased from 4% to 6% and from 5% to 7%, respectively.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who presided over the Cabinet meeting on Friday, said that Muslims who are economically backward will now have to compete in the 10% pool created under the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) quota.
Legacy of HDD
Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda during his tenure as Chief Minister of Karnataka, in 1995, provided 4% reservation for Muslims under the category 2B in OBC quota, which now stands scrapped.
The Cabinet meeting held during the winter session in Belagavi in December 2022, had approved the creation of new categories of 2C and 2D for Vokkaligas and Veerashaiva-Lingayats, respectively, based on the interim report submitted by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes.
The Panchamasalis sub-sect among Lingayats, who are the biggest voting block among the Veerashaiva-Lingayats, whose support is seen as crucial by the BJP, have been demanding 2A status for the community. The Cabinet has refrained from touching Category 1 or 2A.
With Friday’s decision, the OBC reservation has been kept at 32%, SC 17% and ST 7%, totalling 56%. Besides this, there is an EWS quota of 10%. Those not covered under the SC/ST and OBC reservation are eligible for quota under the 10% EWS quota, as per the economic criteria, Mr. Bommai said.
Increased quota for SC/ST
The Chief Minister said the government has decided to implement the increased reservation of SCs and STs in recruitments. At the same time, they have recommended to the Centre to include it in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution to protect it from legal challenge.
Mr. Bommai said the OBC reservation had not been revised for the past 20 years Arguing that there can be no reservation on the basis of religion, he pointed out that the Andhra Pradesh High Court had struck down religion-based reservation. B.R. Ambedkar, chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution, too had said the reservation has to be based on caste and not religion, he said. He argued that Muslims who are economically backward would now get reservation in “a bigger pool” of 10% under the EWS quota.
Mr. Bommai said the State Cabinet has decided to set up a corporation for the welfare of 12-13 religious minorities such as Pinjara and Nadaf.
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