BENGALURU: The ruling Congress, which has decided to fill 56,000 vacancies in various departments on the basis of 50% reservation, seems to be in a catch22 situation with ministers from SC communities divided over internal quota. With the matter to come up at Thursday’s cabinet meeting, Home Minister G Parameshwara and Social Welfare Minister HC Mahadevappa, who hail from SC right communities, have met AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and held discussions.
Meanwhile, Food and Civil Supplies Minister KH Muniyappa and Excise Minister RB Thimmapur, who are from SC left communities, met Kharge separately and insisted that he ask Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take a call on implementing internal quota for the SCs within the 15% quota.
According to sources, the cabinet may take a decision on dividing the 15% quota, allotting 6% each to SC left and right communities and 3% to others, including Lambani, Bhovi, Koracha, Korama and other nomadic communities. When Muniyappa and Thimmapur met DCM DK Shivakumar a few days ago, he agreed to back their demand for implementation of internal quota, the sources said. Siddaramaiah has to agree to it inevitably, a Congress leader said.
In its report, the Justice HN Nagamohan Das Commission recommended 6% quota for SC left, 5% for SC right, 4% for “touchable” communities (Lambanis, Bhovis, Korachas, and Koramas), 1% for Adi Karnataka (AK), Adi Dravida (AD), and Adi Andhra (AA) communities and 1% for 49-59 other nomadic/micro-communities.
But the cabinet tweaked the recommendation and allotted 6% each to SC left and SC right communities and 5% to others. But the total quota for these communities reached 56%, including the increase of 2% for the SCs and 4% for the STs, breaching the 50% mark.
The matter went to the court. Subject to the court’s decision, the last cabinet meeting decided to go back to the 50% quota system to fill the vacant posts. This shocked a section of SC communities, especially SC left, which fought for internal quota for decades.