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No division in K’taka Congress on internal SC quota: Parameshwara
Karnataka's home minister G Parameshwara denies factionalism in Congress over Scheduled Caste reservation, promising a decision in the next Cabinet meeting.
State home minister G Parameshwara on Monday dismissed speculation of divisions within the ruling Congress over internal reservation within the Scheduled Caste quota, saying the government would take a final decision in the next Cabinet meeting after resolving certain technical aspects.
“There are no factions at all. There are no factions. Where is the question of factions? Different people express different opinions. Just because someone expresses an opinion does not mean it becomes a faction,” Parameshwara told reporters.
He said discussions were continuing within the government on how to proportionately distribute reservation among sub-groups within the Scheduled Caste category after the overall reservation ceiling was reduced from 56% to 50% following court directions.
The remarks come days after the state Cabinet postponed a decision on implementing internal reservation within the Scheduled Caste quota, saying the matter required further deliberation.
State law and parliamentary affairs minister HK Patil had said the government remained committed to implementing internal reservation but needed clarity on legal aspects before arriving at a final decision.
“The government is committed to implement internal reservation. The discussion on the matter has continued. The matter will be discussed further in the next cabinet meeting. A decision on when the meeting will be done will be decided by the government,” Patil said, adding that the issue could not be fully discussed during the previous Cabinet meeting.
Parameshwara said the earlier proposal had been framed after the Nagamohan Das report when the overall reservation stood at 56%. Under that framework, three internal categories were created within the Scheduled Caste quota -- 6% for SC left communities, 6% for SC right communities and 5% for others.
However, he said the court’s reaffirmation of the 50% ceiling on reservations in the Indra Sawhney judgment meant that the earlier formula now needed to be recalculated. “Based on that order, the 6% for SC left, 6% for SC right and 5% categorisation (‘touchables’/others) we had made earlier now needs to be recalculated proportionately after bringing the total reservation down to 50%. We need to work out how to distribute the reservation proportionately,” he said.
The minister said the government was also ensuring that any revised arrangement would not create confusion in the reservation roster system or affect promotions.
The issue involves several communities, including Bhovis, Lambanis, Korachas, Koramas and nomadic groups. Discussions have also included demands for a separate reservation category for nomadic communities. “Taking all these aspects into account, we will take a final decision in the next Cabinet meeting,” Parameshwara said.
He added that the government must finalise reservation categories before issuing recruitment notifications for more than 56,000 posts announced in the state Budget.
“When we issue the notification, we have to clearly specify the reservation categories. We cannot announce reservation after issuing the notification. For example, if we announce 10,000 posts, we must define beforehand how many posts go to which category. We are currently working out these details technically,” he said.
Parameshwara’s remarks come as the Bharatiya Janata Party announced a march against the state government over the issue of reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Former MLA P Rajeev said the protest would seek justice for oppressed communities. Speaking at a preparatory meeting on Sunday, he said the march would begin in Chitradurga on March 22 and reach Bengaluru on March 27, when protesters plan to lay siege to the Vidhana Soudha.
“The movement will be launched from Chitradurga on March 22. It will reach Bengaluru on March 27, and we will lay siege to Vidhana Soudha on that day. One lakh (100,000) people will join on the opening day. The government should come to us on the first day and provide justice to SC and STs. Otherwise, the struggle will intensify by the day,” he said.
Holalkere MLA Dr M Chandrappa accused the Congress government of creating confusion over reservation. “The BJP government had increased the reservation for SC and ST communities, recognising their struggle of three decades. But the Congress government is suppressing our voice. The increase in reservation was Ambedkar’s contribution, not Siddaramaiah’s,” said former minister B Sriramulu
