Internal quota: Cabinet discussion deferred to August 19
While the Dalit left and microscopic SC communities have started an indefinite protest at Freedom Park here demanding the implementation of the Commission's recommendations, the Dalit right and allied castes have petitioned the government to disregard the report terming it as 'unscientific, incomplete and done with mala fide intentions.'
Government sources said that the differences between the two groups have exploded with Ministers from the Dalit right and touchable communities, such as Bhovis and Lambanis, opposing the report and the Dalit left Ministers seeking its implementation.
'Because of a lack of consensus among the Scheduled Castes Ministers, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah decided to postpone the Cabinet meeting. He has asked all Ministers from the SC community to come to a consensus,' a source told The Hindu.
Sources said that a meeting of Ministers had been convened at the residence of Home Minister G. Parameshwara on Wednesday. The Lambanis and Bhovis are learnt to have opposed the implementation of the recommendations since they feel their quota is meagre and they fear missing out on reservation benefits. 'Pressure is building on the government from both sides.'
The Congress had in its manifesto ahead of the 2023 Assembly polls promised to implement internal reservation and had also made the Chitradurga declaration.
Meanwhile, the Federation for Social Justice for Scheduled Castes, which is holding a protest in Bengaluru since August 11 seeking speedy implementation of the recommendations, met the Chief Minister on Thursday.
They appraised him of their plans of an indefinite fast from Friday in support of their demand, but deferred it after the Chief Minister's assurance to address their concerns.
The more than three decades old demand for internal reservation comes from the Dalit left groups that accuse the Dalit right of cornering reservation benefits in public education and employment avenues.
The commission has sliced up the 17% reservation for Scheduled Castes among microscopic (1%), Dalit left (6%), Dalit right (5%), touchable castes of Lambanis, Kormas, Korachas, and Bhovis (4%), and a group of Adi Karnataka, Adi Dravida, and Adi Andhra (1%).
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