The extension of the state government’s affirmative action policy on public procurement to Muslims under category 2B of backward classes in the budget on Friday, March 7, has triggered a political row, with the opposition BJP accusing the Congress government of indulging in “appeasement” politics.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah extended the reservation policy under the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act (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 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.
Though the budget did not mention the proportion of reservations, the government had been recently mulling introducing 4% reservation for Muslims while awarding government contracts.
Although the move comes on the back of demands from Muslim legislators who had petitioned the Chief Minister, an amendment to the KTPP Act would have to be approved in the Cabinet and passed in the legislature.
The opposition BJP has opposed the announcement, terming it an example of “appeasement politics.”
BJP MLA V Sunil Kumar questioned the government’s intent, calling the move proof of the “anti-Hindu stance of the Siddaramaiah government.” He alleged that the chief minister had been favouring the Muslim community for a long time. “This is a divide-and-rule policy of the financial expert,” Kumar said in a social media post, taking a jibe at Siddaramaiah.
The Karnataka BJP also launched an online campaign against the move, posting an edited image of Siddaramaiah wearing a skull cap and labelling the budget a “Halal Budget”. The party alleged that the government had announced several benefits for Muslims, including Rs 50,000 assistance for simple marriages within the community, while ignoring the interests of SC, ST, and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
Speaking to the media later in the evening, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah defended the government’s decision, saying that the provision had been given to minorities because of their backwardness.
To a question, Siddaramaiah said, “What is the level of their education and literacy? The same reservation is given to SCs, STs, Category 1 and 2A. Haven’t we given it to them? Why are you going on about Muslims? Minorities does not just mean Muslims, there are others too,” he said.
He pointed out that the budget allocated Rs 42,000 crore towards the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP), Rs 4,500 to minorities and Rs 4,300 to OBCs.
He referred to the Karnataka Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan (Planning, Allocation and Utilization of Financial Resources) Act, 2013, and asked whether any BJP government had passed such a law. The Act mandates that the state government allocate funds from the budget proportionate to the populations of the SCs and STs.
“Has any BJP ruled state passed a law for SCs? The BJP government has been in power for 13 years at the centre. Did they pass such a law? What moral right does the BJP have to ask us this?”
He said that India was a country of pluralism and secularism where people should be treated equally. “The BJP is totally against secularism. I will reply to this in the Assembly.”