Quota for minorities in housing: Siddaramaiah turns tables on BJP, points to NDA's policy for minorities

Time of India

3 hours ago

Chief Minister
Siddaramaiah
on Friday turned the tables on the Opposition
BJP
saying the increase in the quota for minorities in
housing schemes
in Karnataka has been in deference to a guideline issued by the
NDA
regime at the Centre and the same has been in force for years.
If this was unconstitutional or
appeasement
, why did the Union Government ask all states to follow it? Why is it being implemented under Central schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana?, the CM asked in a media statement.
The quota was applicable to minorities including Christians, Jains, and Muslims. "This is based on the Prime Minister's 15-Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities (2019), which clearly directs all Central and State implementing agencies to earmark 15% of physical and financial targets for minorities wherever possible."
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"Our decision does not grant blanket enhancement of quota across the state. It only addresses a specific implementation challenge. In many panchayats where the minority population is less than 10%, the mandated 10% earmarking could not be utilised. To ensure optimal use of the allocated targets and avoid lapses, we have allowed the gap from such panchayats to be reallocated to those with a higher minority population, subject to a cap of 15%. This is an administrative adjustment within the unreserved category and does not affect SC, ST, or OBC reservations in any manner. The decision is legally sound and has been cleared by the Law Department after thorough review," Siddaramaiah said in response to criticisms from the BJP.
The BJP's reaction, he said, was both hypocritical and politically motivated. The same party that implements the 15% target at the national level is now accusing Karnataka of appeasement for merely applying the same principle to its state schemes. "If the BJP has any objection, they must first explain why their own government continues to operate under the same guidelines and why it expects other states to do the same. This selective outrage is nothing but an attempt to stoke communal sentiments and derail efforts meant to uplift the poorest and most marginalised families in the state."
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Over 34,000 additional minority families, most of them landless and in need of housing, will benefit from this decision in the current year alone. Where no minority applicants are found in a panchayat, the unutilised share will be reallocated to where there is higher need, ensuring that not a single house remains unbuilt due to technical rigidities. This approach ensures equity, efficiency, and full utilisation of resources, while remaining fully compliant with constitutional provisions, the statement said.
"We urge BJP leaders to rise above narrow political calculations and support measures that truly uplift the poor, instead of trying to block their path with misinformation and communal rhetoric," Siddaramaiah said.
Deputy CM DK Shivakumar on Friday maintained that the 5% increase in the quota of minorities in the housing schemes would not eat into the share of other communities, lashing out at the BJP for threatening to launch an agitation demanding the reversal of the Cabinet decision.
Housing Minister BZ Zamir Ahmed Khan has only transferred the quota of minorities from rural areas to urban areas as the population of minorities is low in rural areas. No quota is being snatched from anyone to give them to minorities, he told the media a day after the government's decision triggered sharp reactions from the Opposition BJP.
The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday decided to increase the
minority quota
in the government's housing schemes by 5 percentage points, weeks after passing a bill to create a 4% Muslim quota in government's civil contracts. The government currently has a quota of 10%, which will now go up to 15%.
Shivakumar said as per the Justice Sachar Committee report, minorities were given quotas in rural areas also. But it was not being used as the population of minorities was low in rural areas. As much as 90% of SC/STs have been given homes. The government cannot give funds unless they lay the foundation stone for their house, he added.
The government cannot incur losses by keeping flats vacant, but the Opposition parties were politicising it, he said.
Housing Minister Khan said the Centre already has a 15% quota for minorities as per the Sachar committee report. There has been a demand to have the same policy in Karnataka also. The Cabinet decided to implement the same here also, accepting the report of the Cabinet sub-committee, he said.
Veteran BJP leader BS Yediyurappa said his party was not against the interests of minorities, it was not fair to over appease them for the sake of vote bank politics.