Karnataka tables contentious Muslim quota bill; BJP vows to challenge legally
Karnataka minister for law and parliamentary affairs, H K Patil, tabled the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Tuesday introduced a bill in the Legislative Assembly proposing a 4% reservation for Muslims in public contracts, a move that has sparked opposition from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has termed it unconstitutional and vowed to challenge it legally.
The minister for law and parliamentary affairs, H K Patil, tabled the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the House. The Bill seeks to amend the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act, 1999, aligning with the Muslim quota proposal announced in the state budget for 2025-26.
The discussion on the bill is expected to take place on Wednesday.
Earlier on Friday, the State Cabinet had approved the amendment, which reserves 4% of civil works contracts up to ₹2 crore and goods and services contracts up to ₹1 crore for Muslims.
Currently, Karnataka provides reservations in public contracts for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) at 24%, Other Backward Classes (OBC) Category 1 at 4%, and OBC Category 2A at 15%. There had been persistent demands to extend a similar 4% quota to Muslims under Category 2B of the OBC classification.
The bill aims to address unemployment among backward communities and enhance their participation in government projects. It proposes to reserve 4% of contracts for Category 2B (Muslims) in civil works up to ₹2 crore and extends similar provisions to procurement of goods and services in designated government departments for contracts valued up to ₹1 crore.
The reservation percentages for other categories in procurement remain at 17.5% for SCs, 6.95% for STs, 4% for OBC Category 1, 15% for OBC Category 2A, and 4% for Category 2B (Muslims). The bill clarifies that its implementation will not require additional government expenditure.
The BJP has strongly opposed the proposed legislation, calling it an attempt at appeasement politics. Dakshina Kannada MP Captain Brijesh Chowta accused the Congress government of dividing society based on caste and religion. “BJP will strongly oppose the Karnataka government for reserving 4% of government contracts for Muslims. The decision divides society based on caste and religion. We will fight both inside and outside Parliament,” he said.
Chowta further alleged that the reservation policy was designed to cater to organisations such as the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). He asserted that the BJP would continue its legal battle to overturn the provision, including filing a writ petition in the high court. “There is no provision in our country to grant reservations based on religion. The Supreme Court has already issued multiple orders on this matter. During the drafting of the Constitution, Dr Ambedkar himself opposed religion-based reservations. In various states, similar attempts to provide religion-based reservations have been struck down by the courts. Despite this, the Siddaramaiah government is engaging in vote-bank politics by granting a 4% reservation to Muslims. Our fight will continue until this unconstitutional decision is revoked,” he said.
Countering the BJP’s stance, Congress leader Priyank Kharge dismissed the objections as politically motivated. “If the BJP has a problem with Muslims, why have they not declared them non-citizens? Declare that Muslims are not citizens of this country, and then no schemes will apply to them. But until then, it is the duty of every government to work for the upliftment of people from economically poor backgrounds, irrespective of caste or community. Their slogan of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ (Everyone’s Support, Everyone’s Progress) should not be just a slogan,” he remarked.
