Internal reservation: Dalit Ministers hold meetings to arrive at a consensus ahead of Karnataka Cabinet meeting on March 5

Ahead of the Cabinet meeting on Thursday during which the internal reservation issue is scheduled to be discussed, Dalit Ministers on Wednesday held parleys to arrive at a possible broader consensus on the issue that has now driven a wedge among Scheduled Castes and left the Cabinet divided.

The BJP, meanwhile, has announced a State-wide protest against the confusion.

Ministers from both the Dalit Right (Holeya) and the Dalit Left (Madiga) castes separately met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the senior most Dalit leader in the State. Dalit Left Ministers K.H. Muniyappa and R.B. Thimmapur also met Dalit Right Minister G. Parameshwara to find a possible solution.

Kharge’s guidance

Mr. Muniyappa said they held a comprehensive discussion with Mr. Kharge on implementing internal reservation, and the latter gave guidance to arrive at a settlement. “A just and balanced sharing of reservation among the SCs will be discussed with the Chief Minister,” he said.

The Cabinet is divided over the government’s decision to kickstart the recruitment process for 56,432 posts, adhering to the 50% cap in reservation and without internal reservation among SCs. While the Dalit Right Ministers are against internal reservation within 15% quota for SCs, the Dalit Left Ministers are insisting the internal reservation matrix should be drawn for the 15% quota.

Meanwhile, defending the decision, another Dalit Right Minister Priyank Kharge told presspersons about the legal hurdles, “The government favouring social justice stopped recruitment process before the internal quota matrix was drawn. Based on empirical data, the legislature passed a law. How are we then against internal reservation? If someone goes to court, is it the government’s fault? There are a total of six cases in court.”

Stating that everything had to be done legally, he said, “We have been transparent. We are ready to provide 6% as backlog. Let the court give its verdict.”

On the opposition to 15% reservation for SCs, he said, “Is there empirical data for 15%? It (data) was (based on) a 15-year-old census. We do not know how it was arrived at.”

State-wide protest

Accusing the Congress government of meting out injustice to Scheduled Castes communities, the BJP has warned of a State-wide protest if provisions were not made for including internal reservation for SC communities during the proposed recruitment initiative.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru on Wednesday, BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra took exception to the decision to go ahead with the recruitment without internal reservation and also peg the total reservation quantum at 50% as against 56% provided by the erstwhile BJP government. He warned that this would create unrest among oppressed communities.

Mr. Vijayendra accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of meting out injustice to Dalits despite coming to power with the support of communities from AHINDA (Kannada acronym for Minorities, Backward Classes and Dalits). He said that the government was citing the reservation issues being challenged before the court as an “alibi.”

Right and Left divide

The Dalit Left communities, under the Federation of Madiga Sanghas, are also seeking legal opinion about the government decision to keep away internal reservation from the recruitment process.

A handbill issued to create awareness in the community terms the decision on internal reservation as “betrayal by Congress”.

On the other hand, welcoming the government’s decision to hold recruitment with 15% quota and without internal reservation, the Federation of Karnataka State Dalit Right Communities has asked the government to reject the H.N. Nagamohan Das Commission report as “unscientific” since it had “under reported” the numbers of Dalit Right by spreading communities in various other categories.