Eye on poll, Karnataka govt ups Lingayat, Vokkaliga quotas by 2% each

BENGALURU: In a major decision that is expected to significantly boost the BJP's prospects in the upcoming assembly elections, the state cabinet on Friday decided to increase the reservation quota for the two politically powerful and dominant castes - Lingayats and Vokkaligas - by 2% each. To increase the quota, the cabinet removed the 4% reservation for Muslims and moved them under the 10% Economically Weaker Section (EWS) basket.

The cabinet also decided to implement the long-pending demand of the Scheduled Castes for internal reservation as recommended in the 2012 AJ Sadashiva Commission report. Under the new reservation policy, the Lingayats will enjoy 7% reservation in government jobs and education and the Vokkaligas 6% under the newly created 2D and 2C categories, respectively. "We will soon issue a government order to implement the cabinet decision," CM Basavaraj Bommai told reporters after the cabinet meeting.

As far as internal reservation is concerned, the cabinet decided to provide 6% for left-leaning SCs, 5.5% for right-leaning SCs, 4.5% for touchables, and 1% for others in scheduled castes. "The government will soon recommend to the Centre that it implements the decision," the CM said.

The BJP was under pressure from Madiga sect of the SC community to implement the Sadashiva Commission report that favoured internal reservation.



As per the report, 101 sub-sects of SCs/STs in Karnataka should be broadly divided into four categories - left wing (who identify with former deputy PM Babu Jagjivanram), right-wing (with BR Ambedkar and Buddhism), other SCs and touchables. This is to ensure that benefits of quota and welfare schemes reach all the needy.

According to community experts, SCs roughly form 18% of the state's population. Most are grouped under two rival and hierarchical factions - right wing and left wing. Madigas are under the left wing, while Chalavadis and groups like Lambanis and Bhovis are under the right wing. Traditionally, both left and right-wing groups supported Congress, but gradually Madigas grew resentful of the clout of Chalavadi leaders as only some reservation benefits reached the community in education, government jobs and politics. BJP began to woo them in the early 2000s by giving prominence to their leaders like minister Govind M Karjol, and the community started leaning towards BJP.



In 2010, when BJP was in power, it released Rs 12 crore to expedite the work of the Sadashiva Commission, set up in 2005 by the Congress-JD(S) government. The commission submitted its report in early 2012 when DV Sadananda Gowda was the CM. In 2013, when Congress came to power, it was referred to a cabinet sub-committee. With this, the government has tried to appease four major communities ahead of the crucial elections in May. A few months ago, it increased the reservation quotas for SCs and STs by 2 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively.

The CM also attempted to appease Kurubas who had sought reservation under the ST category. "We have decided to ask the department concerned to conduct an anthropological study on the lifestyles of Kurubas. Once the study report is received, we will recommend to the Centre that they be classified as ST," he said.


Asked if the move to take away Muslim reservations will not hurt the community, the CM said they have been moved to the EWS quota, which has 10% reservation. "We have moved them from a category with a 4% quota to a category that has 10%. It will not harm their interest in any manner...," he said. "Moreover, reservation is given to castes, not religion...," he added.