Vokkaliga delegation presents a memorandum to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai demanding reservation for the community. file | Photo credit: The Hindu
In an election year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka is busy cutting the pie of reservations, creating much confusion and raising many concerns about both their viability and grounding in principles of social justice.
Carrying forward the criteria of social and educational backwardness, for which data is not currently available, the government, which is facing anti-incumbency and allegations of corruption, has sought to pacify two powerful communities – Vokkaligas and Veerashaiva-Lingayats. have tried. Creation of 2C and 2D categories in Other Backward Classes (OBC) blocks, respectively. The two communities are currently in 3A and 3B, and are demanding reclassification and an increase in the quota. The government has claimed that this additional quota will be created from the 10% Economically Weaker Section (EWS) pool, which is expected to create some legal complications.
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The creation of 2D for Veerashaiva-Lingayats – the traditional BJP electorate – was essentially done to woo the numerically strong Lingayat sub-caste Panchamasalis in north Karnataka, which over the years have seen a category shift from the current 3B (4% quota) has demanded. 2A (15% quota). Amazingly, Category 2C for Vokkaligas, who have demanded 12% reservation on the basis of their population, has been created even before the community launched a serious agitation. This is seen as an attempt by the BJP to make inroads in the Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysore region, where it is weak.
Apart from these, among other factors to be considered for caste-based reservation are demands for higher reservation coming from several relatively better-off communities in Karnataka either citing category change or population size or economic criteria, and not of socio-educational backwardness or untouchability. Prominent leaders are also actively pushing for reservations for the communities they belong to, leaving smaller communities without a powerful voice and political representation.
For example, Kurubas – a numerically large and electorally important caste among backward classes – currently under the 2A category, are seeking an ST tag, while Marathas, currently in the 3B category, are seeking a 2A tag. have been
The “special treatment” for the two politically well-represented and land-owning communities of Vokkaligas and Veerashaiva-Lingayats is being seen as “discriminatory”, as are the hundreds of castes and sub-castes among other backward classes due representation. suffer without. Many micro castes in the backward classes in the state have not got the benefit of reservation. It is also argued that the new categories – in the absence of any reliable data – can be questioned in court.
In Karnataka, the hike in quota for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in October last year has violated the limit set by the Supreme Court for reservation. The total matrix is now 56%, which includes 32% for backward classes, 17% for scheduled castes and 7% for scheduled tribes.
Incidentally, the socio-economic survey or caste census – the details of which have not been made public – conducted by the Karnataka Permanent Backward Classes Commission has been on the backburner since 2017. The government’s decision also comes at a time when the commission is preparing a report on the demand for change in categories or inclusion of 25 smaller communities, with respect to which a decision is yet to be taken.
While the BJP government claims credit for implementing the long-pending demand of SCs and STs to hike the quota based on the Justice H. Nagmohan Das Commission report, it is pending in court until its inclusion in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution. can be challenged. In another development, the government has also set up a cabinet sub-committee to study the possibility of providing internal reservation among Scheduled Castes based on the 2012 report of the Justice AJ Sadashiv Commission.
While the BJP has tried to appease various communities ahead of the elections, it may have tied itself in knots on some fronts. For example, while Vokkaligas and Panchamsalis are watching the new classification with caution, SC “right-wing” groups are unhappy with the move towards internal reservation. Will these steps stand the test of law is the big question that is yet to be addressed in a state that is already in election mode.