After SC/ST quota hike, reservation-related demands pile up in Karnataka

Bengaluru: With reservation-related demands from various communities intensifying following the state government’s decision to increase the quota for SCs and STs, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said there are aspirations from all communities and appropriate decisions will be taken after due consideration.

There are reservation-related demands made by various communities — the Panchamasali Lingayats want to come under Category 2A of backward classes (they are now under Category 3B), Kurubas, who are currently OBCs, have been pushing to be bracketed under ST, while the Veerashaiva-Lingayats and Vokkaligas are keen to be included in the central OBC list.

“Naturally, everyone will have aspirations. We have taken up SC/ST communities first. We are working on giving legal protection regarding it (hike in SC/ST quota),” Bommai said in response to a question

Speaking to reporters here, he said, “On the matters (of reservation) related to backward classes, there is a permanent backward classes commission looking into it. There are experts too. Based on the recommendations made by the commission and taking exports’ opinion into account, the government will take appropriate decisions from time to time.” The Karnataka Cabinet on October 8 accorded its formal approval to increase the quota for SCs and STs in the state.

With this, the quota for SCs would go up from 15 percent to 17 percent and for STs from 3 percent to 7 percent. Following this, the government would also initiate the process to have it included under the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution by making a recommendation to the Centre

The decision to hike SC/ST quota is being seen by some with a political prism, with Assembly elections due in about six months.

The Bommai government was under tremendous pressure from SC/ST communities and lawmakers to hike the quota and also to implement the Justice H N Nagamohan Das commission’s report. Also, ‘Valmiki Gurupeetha’ seer Prasannananda Swami has been on a hunger strike demanding the ST quota hike.