Karnataka SC/ST quota hike backed by data: CM Bommai

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said the BJP government’s decision to increase SC/ST reservation will pass legal scrutiny as it is “backed by empirical data”.

Bommai was responding to AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala who accused the BJP government of misleading the SC/STs on the reservation matter.

The BJP government has breached the 50 per cent quota ceiling by six percentage points after hiking reservations for SCs from 15 per cent to 17 per cent and for STs from 3 per cent to 7 per cent.

“In the Indira Sawhney case and also in the EWS case, the Supreme Court has ruled that there is no sacrosanctity of the 50 per cent limit,” Bommai argued. The ceiling can be breached in special circumstances with data, he said. “Hence, since legislations/orders of the Government of Karnataka are backed by empirical data, they will always stand the test of the law,” he said.

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Bommai issued a point-by-point rebuttal to Surjewala who made four charges: the government sat on the Nagamohan Das Commission report for four years, the government changed reservation categories thrice in 90 days, the union government said Karnataka had not sought any 9th Schedule insertion and the government wrote to the union government only after Congress decided to stage a protest.

Bommai said the Commission gave its report in July 2020 and the Subhash Adi Committee was formed in March 2021 on how reservations can be hiked, an all-party meeting was held in October 2022 and the law was passed in December. Bommai said the Cabinet last month approved seeking 9th Schedule insertion and the proposal was sent to the union government on March 23.

The government has “meticulously and legally followed all steps in a gradual and systematic manner,” Bommai underlined.

Bommai also pointed out that the law hiking SC/ST quota has been challenged in the High Court. “However, no stay has been granted in this case. This only shows that there is merit and legitimacy in this legislation,” he said.

Karnataka’s proposal is “under active consideration” of the union government, Bommai said, adding that the BJP is fully committed to social justice and “cannot be bullied by malicious, baseless, misleading and false statements” by Congress.

Bommai’s rebuttal was amplified by BJP leaders BL Santhosh, Tejasvi Surya, K Annamalai and others, signifying the importance of the reservation issue for the party ahead of polls.