Why Siddaramaiah govt may hit a hurdle in its bid to roll out Dalit sub-quotas
The Siddaramaiah-led government is facing the challenge of dividing the existing 17% reservation for the SCs in government jobs and public education between its sub-groups based on their backwardness.
A report on the social, economic and educational situation among the SCs in Karnataka, prepared by the Commission headed by retired high court judge Justice H N Nagamohan Das, was submitted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on August 4. The report was accepted by the state Cabinet in a meeting held on August 7.
'In a short span of time, a scientific survey (on the SCs), which covered nearly 95% of the state's population, has been presented. The report has been given to all ministers and the Cabinet, while accepting it, has asked for it to be studied. A special Cabinet meeting will be held on August 16 and a decision will be taken on it,' Law Minister H K Patil said after the August 7 meeting.
The survey on the SC sub-groups, held on the recommendation of the Justice Das Commission, has found the total Dalit population in Karnataka to be 1,07,01,982. After the removal of 1,77,662 Buda Jangam-Beda Jangam members, whose inclusion among Dalits had stirred a row, and 14,449 people who married non-SC persons, the total SC count in the state has been pegged at 1,05,09,871.
According to the 2011 Census, the SCs made up 16.64% of Karnataka's 6.11 crore population.
The Justice Das Commission has recommended for classifying the SC sub-groups into five categories – SC Left (Madigas), SC Right (Holeyas), 'touchable communities like Banjaras and Bhovis (classified as tribes in other states), small groups listed as 'others', and a new 'Category E'– instead of the existing four.
'Each category has many castes. If the 17% reservation available for SCs in Karnataka is to be distributed to these sub-groups, it should be done according to their population,' the Commission stated in its report.
However, noting that the goal of social justice cannot be achieved if reservation is granted only based on population, the panel stated, 'In addition to population, the quota should be determined keeping in mind the educational, occupational and social backwardness.'
The panel has recommended 1% reservation for Category A, which comprises 58 sub-groups whose population makes up 3.97% of the SC population and 6% quota for Category B (SC Left group) which is considered the most backward and makes up 34.91% of the SC population with 18 sub-groups.
The Commission has called for 5% reservation for Category C (SC Right group) – considered less backward and more politically established which makes up 28.63% of the SC count with 17 sub-groups – and 4% quota for Category D (SC 'touchables'), which makes up 26.97% of the Dalit population with four sub-groups.
The panel has also recommended 1% quota for Category E, which accounts for 4.52% of the Dalit population and has been categorised under three broad sub-groupings – Adi Dravida, Adi Andhra and Adi Karnataka.
'In the last 75 years, some SC sub-groups have been empowered to some extent through reservations but the life of some people from these same groups is still miserable with low education levels,' the panel noted in its report.
Observing that some castes that have received the benefits of reservation have seen 'educational, occupational, political, economic and social mobility but some have not been able to get the benefit of reservation at all,' the panel said, 'Those who are better off have to make sacrifices for those who are less fortunate than them. The hungry should be fed first… In accordance with this policy, the quota of reservation should be distributed on priority.'
Terming the data collected in the caste count as 'dynamic', the panel recommended a review of internal reservation according to the changing situation. 'The Karnataka government has taken steps to conduct a fresh caste survey. Similarly, the Union government has initiated the process of conducting a Census and a caste census. If there are significant discrepancies in the data, the reservation for SCs in the state can be revised,' the report said.
The Commission also called for age relaxation for the SC members who have lost out on job opportunities owing to the Karnataka government halting recruitment in government services since October 2024 pending a decision on internal reservation.
'Some SC communities are enjoying the benefits of reservation by obtaining caste certificates of Adi Andhra, Adi Karnataka and Adi Dravida. Some of them know their original caste. For example, Manna, Kembatti, Mera, Madiga Dasari etc. However, their original names are not included in the SC list. The government should study this and take steps to include the names of these castes in the SC list,' the panel noted.
Justice Nagamohan Das Commission
The Justice Das Commission, constituted to study and submit a report on the internal reservations for SCs, submitted an interim report on March 27 and asked for a fresh SC survey citing lack of accurate data.
Subsequently, the Siddaramaiah government held a door-to-door SC survey between May 5 and July 6, which covered 27,24,768 Dalit households.
In August last year, the Supreme Court had allowed internal reservation among the SCs and the Scheduled Tribes (STs) in jobs and education to provide better support for the more disadvantaged groups.
The demand for the SC survey has been made to ascertain the population of each sub-group to decide sub-quotas accordingly amid claims that a large slice of their quota was being cornered by upwardly mobile SC sub-castes like Holeyas, Banjaras and Bhovis.
BJP's sub-quota bid
In March 2023, the previous BJP government, enhanced reservation for the SCs from 15% to 17% by granting 6% of the reservation to the SC Left, 5.5% to SC Right, 4.5% to 'touchables', and 1% to other SC groups. Its basis was the 2011 Census numbers and some aspects of the 2012 Justice A J Sadashiva Commission report.
Some of the most backward SC sub-groups like Madigas have been demanding the implementation of the Justice Sadashiva Commission report, which recommended 6% reservation for the SC Left group, 5% for SC Right, 3% for 'touchables' and 1% for others. This panel found that a majority of the reservation for SCs in Karnataka was being availed by sub-groups like Holeyas, Bhovis and Lambanis while most backward groups like Madigas remained 'deprived'.
The BJP's move backfired to an extent as Bhovis and Banjaras went against the party in the 2023 Assembly polls over the reduction in their reservation from 15% to 4.5%. The sub-quotas, however, never saw the light of day then as the mandate for changing internal quotas was then with the Centre.
The Siddaramaiah government's rationale behind setting up the Justice Das panel was that internal reservation to SCs given on the basis of population – like the Sadashiva panel report – is not likely to stand the legal test for want of proper data, as mandated by the top court.
'In the wake of a three-decade-old demand, the Cabinet has agreed in principle to grant internal reservation to SCs. The government has decided to take all 101 sub-groups into confidence and scientifically implement an internal quota,' Siddaramaiah had said after his Cabinet approved the setting up of the Justice Das panel.
Challenge before Congress
The issue is a tricky one for the state Congress, which has traditionally drawn support from the SC Right group, to which many of its prominent leaders like AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Home Minister G Parameshwara and Social Welfare Minister H C Mahadevappa belong.
While the SC Left group has backed the Congress in the past, several sub-groups have drifted towards the BJP citing lack of political representation. The group, which has benefited most from the SC quota, is likely to resist any sub-quota move by the Siddaramaiah government.
To buy time on the issue, the Siddaramaiah government is likely to refer the Justice Das panel's report to a Cabinet sub-committee.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
8 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Sacking of Rajanna exposes Congress' ‘anti-Dalit' face, says BJP
The BJP has maintained that the sacking of Scheduled Tribes leader K.N. Rajanna from the Cabinet over his views on 'voter theft' had revealed the 'true anti-Dalit face' of the Congress, besides exposing the hollowness of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's claims of championing the cause of Ahinda (Kannada acronym for minorities, OBCs, and Dalits). In a social media post, BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra said: 'This is the true face of Congress — anti-Dalit, anti-democratic and anti-truth. It also exposes the hollowness of Mr. Siddaramaiah's claims of championing the Ahinda cause. When leaders from these communities are targeted, he does not defend them. Instead, he bows to the diktats of the Delhi high command to safeguard his own position as Chief Minister.' He said that Mr. Rajanna, a senior Dalit leader, was removed from the State Cabinet 'for merely speaking the truth.' 'Clear pattern' Mr. Vijayendra further claimed: 'The pattern is clear. In the case of erstwhile ST Welfare Minister Nagendra, funds earmarked for the development of the community were siphoned off to finance Congress's election expenses. Instead of holding the CM and Deputy CM accountable, the blame was placed entirely on Mr. Nagendra, and the matter was quietly closed.' Meanwhile in the Legislative Assembly, the BJP members led by Leader of the Opposition R. Ashok raised the issue as soon as speculations about Mr. Rajanna either quitting or being sacked started doing the rounds. Mr. Ashok urged the government and Mr. Rajanna to clarify on the issue. He even argued that Mr. Rajanna should not be sitting in the place earmarked for Ministers if he is no longer a part of the ministry. While Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would respond to them later, Mr. Rajanna said he was told by the Law Minister not to speak. 'Whether I have resigned or not will be told by the Chief Minister,' he said. But the Chief Minister stayed away from the session, while Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who was in the session, chose not to comment on the floor of the House. Taking exception to Mr. Rajanna and the government remaining mum, Mr. Ashok sought to remind them that it was during the protest over the honey-trap allegations made by Mr. Rajanna that 18 of the BJP MLAs had been suspended. Meanwhile, Deputy Leader of the Opposition Arvind Bellad maintained that the sacking of Mr. Rajanna, a close aide of Mr. Siddaramaiah, was 'a big blow' delivered to the Chief Minister by his deputy.
Time of India
11 minutes ago
- Time of India
Education ministry presses NTA over slow exam reforms after NEET-UG leak, CUET delays
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads New Delhi: As the National Testing Authority (NTA) continues to lurch from one controversy to another even after the NEET-UG 2024 leak case, most recently from the issue of improper stapling of NEET-UG question papers landing it in court for confusing students to electricity failures at testing centres and late scheduling of the CUET exam , the education ministry has finally begun asking questions of the authority, ET has has gathered that the education ministry recently asked the NTA about the status and progress on reforms suggested by the high-level committee helmed by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan . The communication has gone out in view of poor progress made by NTA so far on several fronts, it is reform agenda status has been sought nearly eight months after the education ministry's committee report on exam reforms and the NTA functioning was made public. At the core of it is tardy progress on exam reforms, imperative for a NEET-UG 2026 revamp besides a more efficient and predictable conduct of all exams, such as the UGC-NET and CUET which have also become taxing for committee in 2024 had made a series of recommendations to overhaul NTA in the aftermath of the NEET-UG leak case, ranging from structural reforms to re-working its test-related of the key recommendations that got moving at the behest of the Dharmendra Pradhan-led ministry was soon after the panel report was published, with the Union minister announcing that the NTA would only focus on and conduct higher education entrance exams and not service-related exams. On various other reform moves, however, it is still the ministry which has been nudging NTA and urging changes be made, ET has was felt that greater accountability and security apparatus can be ensured at government-run institutes functioning as test centres, compared to private schools. Internal government assessments of the NEET-UG 2024 fiasco also red flagged faulty allocation of test centres in several states. State governments and district administrations at many places also pointed out how the allocation of test centres by the NTA was puzzling in several cases as even state exams were never held at many of these.
Time of India
17 minutes ago
- Time of India
War of words erupts over river linking project
Surat: Ahead of a rally on Thursday announced by the Congress party in Dharampur, to protest the Par Tapi Narmada river linking project, a war of words has begun between political leaders. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Congress's Vansda MLA Anant Patel called for the rally and urged tribals to join in large numbers to protest the project, while BJP leaders claimed that the scrapping of the project has already been announced. Patel said the govt prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and this is why the protest campaign has restarted. BJP leaders, including C R Paatil, countered by accusing Patel of misleading the public, asserting that the project has been scrapped, as was previously announced by the govt. Union water resources minister Paatil accused the Congress of spreading false information about the Par Tapi Narmada river linking project. The BJP leader urged people not to be swayed by misinformation. "The Congress has recently been raising the issue to gain political mileage among tribal people. The BJP govt is committed to safeguarding the interests of tribal communities and would never implement any plan that harms them," Paatil said. Reacting to Paatil's comments, MLA Anant Patel demanded a clarification from the govt in writing. "Over 1 lakh people are going to be affected by the project and we will continue our campaign until the govt announces it officially in writing. They should declare in a white paper in Parliament that this project is not going to take place," said Anant Patel. Valsad BJP MP Dhaval Patel weighed in, labelling the Congress MLA's allegations "misinformation". Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The BJP's assertion is that the Congress is attempting to instigate unrest among the local population by reviving a defunct project. "The scrapping of the project was announced by the govt in 2022 and no work is being done. Congress is losing elections in the region; hence, in search of support, they are misguiding tribals. This rally is being organized to save Congress's existence in this region," the Valsad MP said. The river linking project, which has been a contentious issue in the region, is seen by some as a potential boon for development, while others fear it could lead to environmental degradation and social disruption.
