In a major announcement ahead of the Assembly elections, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai-led Karnataka government has decided to scrap the four per cent quota for minorities and add it to the existing quota of two dominant communities–Lingayat and Vokkaliga– of the poll-bound state.
The cabinet has also decided to bring religious minorities under the EWS category. The decision comes ahead of the Assembly elections.
Addressing a press conference after chairing the last cabinet meeting, CM Bommai said the quota of reservations for Linagayats and Vokkaligas has been increased from 4 per cent to 6 per cent and 5 per cent to 7 per cent, respectively.
At the same time, the ruling BJP government has cancelled the 4 per cent quota for Muslims under the OBC category.
Quota Division In Karnataka
The 4 per cent reservation given to Muslims under 2B classification of the OBC category will now be divided into two equal parts and added to the existing quota of Vokkaligas and Lingayats for whom two new reservation categories of 2C and 2D were created during the Belagavi Assembly Session last year.
Bommai said the religious minorities quota would be done away with and brought under the 10 per cent pool of the EWS category without any change of condition.
The Cabinet had abolished 3A and 3B categories of reservation for Vokkaligas and Lingayats respectively and replaced them with two new categories of 2C and 2D last December.
Defending the decision to abolish the quota for Muslims, Bommai said there was no constitutional provision for religious minorities.
Citing a court verdict striking down the reservation provided for minorities in Andhra Pradesh, the CM said the architect of the Indian Constitution B R Ambedkar too had said that reservations were for caste.
“However, we cannot drop that community entirely. With a view that there should not be any problem, the religious minorities…if someone challenges reservation to them, we decided to take a proactive decision. In fact, they will go from 4 per cent to the 10 per cent pool of the EWS group without any change of condition,” Bommai explained.
Muslims divided into 3 reservation categories – 1, 2A and 2B
The extremely backward religious minorities, who form the sub-sects of Muslims such as Pinjara, Nadaf, Daroji, and Chapparband and are enlisted in category 1, will remain undisturbed and in the same reservation list.
Similarly, the government did not touch the Muslim communities under 2A category.
“Some other Muslim sub-sects in the 2B category will not be disturbed. They will only be moved to the EWS quota on the same conditions,” Bommai said.
Some small backward communities find mention in Backward Commission’s report
“They never figured in any list including the backward list. They are not in any category. Regarding them, the Backward Commission has mentioned in its second list. I will study the report in detail. Our government will take further decision on it in the coming cabinet. Already, a recommendation has been sent to the Centre to include two shepherd communities ‘Kadu Kuruba’ and ‘Gonda Kuruba’ spread over four districts in the ST category,” the CM said.
Further, the Union government has made some references to two to three communities including Kadu Gollaru and Koli communities seeking the opinion of the department.
Bommai also said that the government will notify the communities under the EWS category.
Also, a decision was taken with regard to the SC community that a 6 per cent reservation would be given to SC left sub-category, 5.5 per cent to SC right, 4.5 per cent to ‘touchables’ and 1 per cent to others.
The Panchamasali community of the Lingayat sect and the Vokkaligas have been demanding a hike in reservation for quite a long time.
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