Karnataka Cabinet decision scrapping 4% Muslim quota on hold until SC decision: CM Bommai

Randeep Singh Surjewala, AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka, attacked the BJP on Tuesday for ‘deceiving’ the people of Karnataka with the ‘fraud of reservation’.

Bommai told reporters in Dharwad that the case was deferred till May 9 by the Supreme Court. (File)

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Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Tuesday that the state government would not implement its decision on scrapping the four per cent quota for Muslims until a petition regarding the case was disposed of by the Supreme Court.

Bommai told reporters in Dharwad that the case was deferred till May 9 by the Supreme Court. “The state government itself had told the Supreme Court that we will not take any action until the case was heard by it. The court has not granted any stay (on scrapping reservation),” he said.

Also Read | Karnataka govt decision scrapping 4 percent quota to Muslims will not be implemented till May 9: SC

On Congress’s allegations that the decision to scrap reservations was against the interests of the Muslim community, he said that the government was “not against Muslims”. “Congress leaders are lying. There are 17 sub-castes among Muslims, which are still included in the backward classes category,” Bommai added.

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Though the Karnataka government has abolished reservations based on religion, Muslims were included under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category. “We have not done any injustice to them,” CM Bommai said.

Earlier in the day, soon after the court hearing, Randeep Singh Surjewala, AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka, attacked the BJP for “deceiving” the people of Karnataka.

Also Read | Defensive BJP attacks Siddaramaiah over ‘corrupt Lingayat CM’ remark, says community will teach Congress a lesson

“The ‘fraud of reservation’ of BJP-Bommai Govt exposed yet again in Supreme Court. The BJP Govt order on Reservation for Lingayats & Vokkaligas as also Internal Reservation and Increased Reservation for SC – ST stayed as Bommai Govt itself failed to file an affidavit in court,” Surjewala said in a tweet, demanding the resignation of the CM.

He demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bommai should answer why they defrauded Vokkaligas, Lingayats and SC/STs as the BJP government did not defend its decision in the Supreme Court.

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Listing a series of questions in his tweet, Surjewala asked, “Why did Modi Govt reject increased reservation for SC-ST on the floor of Parliament on 14th March, 2023? Why was the law on increased reservation for SC-ST not put in the IXth Schedule of Constitution by Central Govt? Why are u refusing to increase the 50% ceiling of reservation to meet with the aspirations of SC, ST, OBC, Lingayats, Vokkaligas and others? Why are u unjustifiably targeting Minority Reservation for polarisation?”.

“Why has Bommai Govt got its own Government Order on Reservation stayed by making a statement in the Supreme Court?”, he further said.