The BJP government’s crucial decisions on reservations for Lingayats and Vokkaligas, as well as internal reservations for the Scheduled Caste category, were announced as part of a well-planned strategy ahead of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections. But the internal reservation move has drawn the ire of the Banjara community, who have been opposing it for a while, and have now launched a persistent agitation.
Their protests took a violent turn in Shikaripura on March 27, when protesters pelted stones at former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s residence. The agitation has now spread to other districts in Karnataka too. On April 4, a seer of the Banjara community who was protesting in Shiggaon town — the constituency of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai — attempted suicide at the protest site. He was immediately rescued and shifted to the hospital. The Banjaras are planning to further intensify their protests in the coming month.
The Banjara community feels that the internal reservation for Scheduled Castes, which gives the Touchables category (to which they belong) 4.5% reservation, would result in them having a lesser share of the benefits. They have been agitating ever since CM Bommai announced the Cabinet’s approval for introducing internal reservation in the SC category, with an increase in overall reservation for SCs from 15% to 17%.
With the new internal reservation formula, the SC Left group will have 6% reservation, SC Right will have 5.5%, and the Touchables will have 4.5%, while the remaining 1% has been earmarked for the Others category. The Banjara community comes under the Touchables category along with the Bhovi, Korama and Koracha communities.
Speaking to TNM, the national secretary of the Akhila Bharatha Banjara Seva Sangha Chandrashekar Naik said they would not stop the agitation until the BJP government withdraws the decision. “This decision deprives our community entirely of education and employment opportunities. The most hit will be our students who will find it very difficult to get seats or scholarships. Why do we need internal reservations? There is enough competition within the SC category. Our community was included in the Scheduled Caste category only in 1976 and we have been seeing progress in a small section of our community since the 1990s. Now, even that will be halted. This fight is for our children and we will not stop,” he said.
The Banjara community is so incensed with the BJP government’s move, that they have decided not to cast their vote at all. All the tandas and villages where Banjaras reside have decided not to let any BJP leader in. Just four days ago, Congress leaders Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar gave an assurance to representatives of the community that they would withdraw the decision on internal reservation if their party came to power. It is not surprising that Congress reached out to them immediately. The community boasts a population of 27.34 lakh in the state across 18 districts. The districts of Vijayapura, Koppal, Raichur, Yadgir, Kalaburagi and Bidar in particular have a high population of Banjaras. The community is now contemplating changing their mind about not voting and throwing their weight behind Congress in the coming elections.
Only two BJP leaders – Kalaburagi MP Umesh Jadhav and Aurad MLA and Minister Prabhu Chavan, both from the same community – have reached out to the Banjaras. In a recent statement to the media, Jadhav said the Banjara community was being misled by the Opposition, and that they would get actually more benefits under internal reservation. However, both the leaders were turned away. “We do not want to talk to them. If they cannot work for our community, then they are dead to us,” Naik fumed.
The agitation is expected to gather more steam in the coming days. Notwithstanding the Model Code of Conduct, the community is planning to stage a huge agitation in Bengaluru in April, for which they expect around 2 lakh Banjaras to gather. This is in addition to the protests planned in all districts and taluks, where they have a substantial presence. CM Bommai refused to respond to a question on the agitation.
(With inputs from Prajwal Bhat)