BENGALURU/TUMAKURU : KarnatakA Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar on Sunday in Bengaluru alleged that the BJP government threatened Vokkaliga community religious head Sri Nirmalanandanatha Swamiji and Panchamasali Lingayat seer Sri Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swamiji to accept the 2 per cent hike each in quota.
“The government called them up 20-25 times asking them to accept the new quota. But Vokkaligas and Lingayats are not beggars to receive the quota that has been robbed from the 4 per cent OBC quota for Muslims. Are minorities not our people,” he asked.
“Do you have a legal department? Is this your property to share the quota on the whims of three or four people? No community is a beggar to receive this alms of yours. We oppose this. Reservation should be allotted to these communities on the basis of population. Congress is committed to it,” he said.
The state and central governments are resorting to hate politics as they have changed the reservation thrice in 90 days though no commission has given its report, he said. He said Congress, which will form the government in 30-40 days after winning the Assembly polls, will cancel the reservation reshuffle by the BJP government.
“The existing 56 per cent cap on reservation should have been expanded to hike the quota. Lingayats had asked for 15 per cent and Vokkaligs 12 per cent,” he said. Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah said the Centre should dismiss the state government as it has reshuffled the quota matrix unconstitutionally without forming a commission.
Minorities to move court
Muslim leaders, including clerics, who met under the chairmanship of former Union minister K Rahman Khan, have resolved to move court against the scrapping of 4 per cent OBC quota for Muslims.
They discussed the pros and cons of the government’s decision. “Without any report by the state backward classes commission, the government has taken the decision which we will question in the court,” said Shivajinagar Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad.
Law Minister JC Madhu Swamy said that every citizen has a right to move the court. “Out of 10 per cent economically weaker section quota, only 1.5 per cent has been utilised by Brahmins and Jains. The remaining 8.5 per cent is open for Muslims,” he said.
