Bommai govt’s bid to scrap 4% Muslim quota touches off firestorm

Subject : Polity

Section: msc

Concept :

There seems to be no data based rationale behind Karnataka Cabinet’s decision to scrap reservation for Muslims under Category 2B in the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and distribute them among the two dominant communities of Vokkaligas and Lingayats under the two newly formed categories 2C and 2D.
Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes had not only not recommended these interventions, but had specifically recommended that no changes be effected in the reservation matrix till it submitted its final report.

Reservation for Lingayats and Vokkaligas

The Cabinet already created category 2C and 2D to accommodate the castes that figured in 3A (Vokkaliga) and 3B (VeerashaivaLingayat) till then.
The decision was based on the interim report on the demand of several communities for increase in reservation, submitted by the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission.

Karnataka’s reservation policy before the changes

Reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes, and Muslims are capped at 50% in accordance with an order of the Supreme Court.
The quota break-up is as follows: Category I (Backward Classes) 4%; Category II A (OBCs) 15%; Category II B (Muslims) 4%; Category III A (Vokkaligas, etc.) 4%; Category III B (Lingayats, Marathas, Bunts, Christians) 5%; SCs 15%; and STs 3%.
A total 95 communities and their sub-sects are recognized as Backward Classes, and 102 communities and their sub-sects as OBCs.

Concerns over the change

A senior Minister in the government, on condition of anonymity, told that the decision was “ad_hoc” and was borne out of “political compulsions”.
More significantly, why not hike reservation for other communities in Categories 1 and 2A that are more backward than the land owning communities.
Indra Sawhney judgment of the Supreme Court clearly says any addition or deletion of a community from the reservation matrix must be based on an empirical data based study by the commission.
Reservation to muslims is based on their backwardness and not religion.