Congress accuses Karnataka government of delaying action on quota hike for SC/STs

KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar accused BJP government of not recommending to the Centre to include the newly-enacted law increasing reservation to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the 9th schedule of the Constitution immediately after enacting the law.

Congress organised a ‘Raj Bhavan Chalo’ rally accusing the Karnataka government of delay in recommending to the Centre to bring the new legislation increasing reservation to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under the 9th schedule of the Constitution.

On March 24, KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar accused the BJP government of ‘neglecting the SC and ST community’ and not recommending to the Centre to include the newly-enacted law under the 9th schedule of the Constitution immediately after enacting the law. “The government had not sent the proposal to the Centre for the last four months,” he alleged.

The Cabinet had decided to send the proposal to the Centre in February 2023.

On March 23, Chief Secretary Vandita Sharma wrote to the Union Home Secretary to include the Karnataka SCs and STs (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services Under the State) Act, 2022, that increased reservation for SCs from 15% to 17% and for STs from 3% to 7%, in the 9th Schedule.

The police detained some Congress leaders, including Mr Shivakumar, Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah, G. Parameshwara, B.K. Hariprasad, V.S. Ugrappa, and Saleem Ahmed.

Randeep Singh Surjewala, general secretary, AICC, alleged, “The BJP and Bommai government are employing the most disgraceful tactics to try and prevent their impending doom in the upcoming polls. Their strategy for SC/ST votes is 3D – Dupe, Deceive, Defraud.”

The Bommai-led government had not implemented the Justice Nagamohan Das Committee report for nearly four years until Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and the Congress demanded answers during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. “The BJP was silent on increasing the existing SC/ST reservation in Karnataka,” the Congress leader claimed.