15% minority housing quota not new, says Karnataka minister
Karnataka Housing and Minority Welfare Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan on Friday defended the state cabinet's decision to increase reservation for minorities in housing schemes from 10 to 15%, saying the move is based on a recommendation made in 2019 and is not a recent or arbitrary decision. Housing and Minority Welfare Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan said the move is based on a recommendation made in 2019 and is not a recent or arbitrary decision (File photo)
'Decision to reserve 15% for minorities in housing schemes is not a decision taken now. The cabinet subcommittee formed in 2019 when HD Kumaraswamy was the chief minister in the coalition government had recommended it,' Khan said, responding to growing criticism from the opposition.
He further clarified that the reservation percentage mirrors existing central policy. 'The central government already provides a 15% quota for minorities under housing schemes, as per the Sachar Committee report. There was a demand that the same should be given in the state. Therefore, the central model has been followed,' he said.
The state cabinet approved the hike on Thursday, applying it to all housing schemes under the Urban and Rural Development Departments. The announcement sparked a sharp backlash from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which labelled the decision 'unconstitutional' and accused the ruling Congress of communal appeasement and vote-bank politics.
Khan defended the move on humanitarian grounds, pointing to the acute housing shortage faced by many minority families. 'The existing 10% reservation rate has been increased to 15. There are more poor families in the minority community and the number of homeless people has increased. Hence, there was a demand to increase the reservation rate,' he explained.
He also cited a 2021 recommendation from the National Commission for Minorities, which had called for the implementation of a 15% reservation in housing schemes. 'Without understanding these factual points, the opposition parties are making unnecessary criticisms, which is not appropriate,' Khan added.
Meanwhile, chief minister Siddaramaiah said his government's decision to enhance reservation for minorities under housing schemes in the state from 10 to 15% was in line with the Union government's guidelines.
He termed the BJP's criticism of it as 'hypocritical and politically motivated', and asserted that his government rejects the politics of hatred and division being pushed by the opposition party.
In a statement, he said 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.
Reacting to it, senior BJP leader and former chief minister BS Yediyurappa accused the Congress government of creating social divisions. 'This government is unnecessarily creating problems... But there is a limit to everything. So if they want to increase it, they should do it for everyone and all communities. This is not correct; that is why everyone is opposing it,' he said.
State BJP president Vijayendra Yediyurappa echoed his father's concerns, taking to social media to term the move a form of religious favouritism. 'Reservation on the basis of religion is unconstitutional! @INCKarnataka in Karnataka has converted welfare into a marketplace for vote-bank politics. First, 4% quota in government contracts. Now, 15 per cent quota in housing schemes. Where does this appeasement end?' he wrote on X.
He argued that the decision risks marginalising Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes by reducing their share of benefits. 'This is a dangerous attempt to institutionalise communal vote-bank politics. It not only robs SCs, STs, and OBCs of their rightful opportunities, but also sends a disturbing message that merit, backwardness, and constitutional principles are secondary to religious appeasement,' Vijayendra posted.
With PTI inputs
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