Karnataka: Why some communities are protesting the new reservation policy passed by BJP-led govt

Speaking to the media, Sharda Pooryanaik, a Banjara leader and former JD(S) MLA from Shivamogga Rural (SC) seat, said, “The government should have held consultations with various caste groups before bringing the changes…There have been demands for a proper caste census to arrive at the quota requirements.”

Meanwhile, responding to the incident, Yediyurappa told reporters, “Naturally I am hurt by this (the violent protest)”. He added, “Issuing any statement (about any provocation) before talking to the protesters is not right. At this moment, I am not ready to say that someone was behind the protest”.

What is the new reservation policy by the Bommai government?

The Bommai government has approved a new breakup of the reservation for SC communities in education and jobs. According to the proposal, out of the 17 per cent reservation for SCs, 6 per cent has been awarded to the ‘SC Left’ group, which consists of the most backward of communities, including Madigas. The less backward ‘SC Right’ category, which has around 25 communities such as Holeyas, got 5.5 per cent of the quota while ‘touchable’ communities such as Banjaras and Bhovis got 4.5 per cent and the other SC communities got the remaining 1 per cent.

Moreover, the government also withdrew the 4 per cent reservation available to Muslims in the backward classes category and distributed it to the dominant castes of Lingayats and Vokkaligas — taking their quota to 5 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively. Under the new reservation policy, Muslims have been placed under the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) reservation category, where they would compete with Brahmins, Jains, Vaishyas, and other non-backwards for a 10 per cent quota.

Why are some communities protesting?

At the forefront of the Monday protest was the Banjara community — an SC sub-group in Karnataka but included in the Scheduled Tribes list of the neighbouring states like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

According to the leaders of the most backward SC groups in Shivamogga region, where the demonstrations took place, Banjaras, who are part of the group which has been awarded a 4.5 per cent quota, are disgruntled with the government as they “were earlier able to corner a large chunk of the Dalit quota due to their enterprising nature, and now fear their share will be restricted to only 4.5 per cent of the total,” The Indian Express reported.

However, the BJP leaders have discredited the agitation and said that the Congress is behind it. CM Bommai said, “Local Congress leaders have provoked [the protest]. Unable to bear that the BJP has provided social justice to these communities, they are provoking violence. The Banjara community should not fall for this. The BJP has always protected the community and will continue to do so”.

Meanwhile, the Muslim community of Karnataka staged protests in districts such as Vijayanagara, demanding to reinstate the reservation offered to them under the ‘2B’ category. Taking a swipe at the BJP government, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Monday said it decided to scrap the reservation to trigger conflict between Muslims and Hindus and to benefit from it electorally.

“The objective behind the decision is the policy of divide and rule employed by the BJP. They think that if Muslims hit the streets (to protest), they will benefit from it. Fortunately, Muslims have remained peaceful,” he said.