As the Muslim community continues to protest against the removal of the 4% reservation by the government, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader BS Yediyurappa defended the Karnataka government’s decision on Thursday, saying that the party has “not done any injustice to Muslims of the state while fixing reservation quotas for communities”.
Addressing reporters, Yediyurappa said that by shifting the 4% reservation, there is no harm done to the Muslim community.
“Muslims have been brought under the EWS quota. There should not be any misunderstanding,” he said.
Yediyurappa further said since it was not possible to provide reservations based on religion, the Muslim community was brought under the EWS quota.
“The central government is implementing pro-poor and pro-farmer schemes. If there are any differences, they will be convinced,” he added.
The Karnataka cabinet meeting last Friday decided to split 4% reservation into jobs and admissions in educational institutions enjoyed by the Muslim community equally between Vokkaliga and Veerashaiva-Lingayats. The Muslim community has been placed under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS).
The EWC currently consists of Brahmin, Jain, Aryavaishya, Nagarthas and Modaliars, which form around 4% of the state population.
Now Muslim community, which constitutes 13% of the population, will be added to this category.
However, only those from families with a total annual income of less than ₹8 lakh, agricultural land of fewer than 5 acres and a house of less than 1000 sq ft, will be eligible for the reservation.
Law minister JC Madhuswamy said Muslims need to be convinced that reservation under the 10% EWS quota will help them.
“We believe that Muslims will benefit. Under Category 2B, they had a 4% reservation. Under the 10% EWS pool, Muslims feel they can’t compete with Brahmins. We’re trying to convince Muslims that even among Brahmins, those with an annual income of ₹8 lakh- ₹10 lakh won’t come under this category. They come under the general category. Anyone with less income, irrespective of caste, will be considered poor. Muslims have scope for a bigger share. We must convince them,” Madhuswamy said.
Meanwhile, Muslim groups in Karnataka continued their protests in several towns and cities, demanding the reinstatement of 4% reservation for Muslims under the 2B group of the Other Backward Classes (OBC).
Congress MLA Rizwan said that despite claims by the BJP, the government’s decision “is an injustice to the Muslim community”.
“BJP is playing vindictive politics against Muslims. Inclusion and exclusion of any community in the category for reservation cannot be done on political decisions. There have to be studies, empirical data, and surveys, and they should be documented,” said the Congress leader.
Soon after the government’s announcement, Congress declared that it would restore the quota to the minority community in the event of the party coming to power in the state, where assembly elections are due by May.
Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar termed the step “unconstitutional”.
“They (the government) think that reservation can be distributed like a property. It’s not a property. It’s a right (of minorities)”, he told reporters here. “We don’t want their four per cent to be scrapped and given to any of the major communities. They ((members of the minority community) are our brothers and family members,” he said on Monday.
