The Karnataka Cabinet on Friday, March 14, approved an amendment to the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act to introduce a 4% reservation in tenders for Muslim contractors, according to reports.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had announced in his budget speech that he would extend the reservation policy under the KTPP Act to Category 2B, which comprises Muslims exclusively.
The reservation had previously included the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Category 1 and Category 2A. Category 1 (most backward) includes 17 Muslim communities, while Category 2A (relatively more backward) includes 19 communities.
Siddaramaiah had said contractors from these communities would be eligible for contracts worth up to Rs 2 crore under the KTPP Act, while suppliers of goods and services would be eligible for orders up to Rs 1 crore.
Following this, the Karnataka BJP launched an online campaign against the move, posting an edited image of Siddaramaiah wearing a skull cap and labelling the budget a “Halal Budget.”