BJP's appeasement charge as K'taka clears 4% reservation

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday called the Karnataka government's decision to reserve 4% of government contracts as "unconstitutional", saying that the move was part of the Congress's appeasement of the Muslim community and it weakens national unity.

- HT and Agency

BENGALURU:

Addressing a press conference, BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the reservation was introduced with the "full patronage and approval" of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

"Siddaramaiah neither has the courage nor the political capital to announce the reservation on his own. There is competitive vote-bank politics at play," Prasad said.

Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, however, sought to clarify that the state government's decision is not exclusive to Muslims but extends to all minority communities and backward classes.

Following a meeting of the Karnataka Cabinet, chief minister Siddaramaiah on Friday announced that the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act will be amended. He announced reservations in government contracts in the state budget 2025-26, and allocated Rs 42,018 crore for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

While he did not specify a community, the budget included category 2B, which comprises Muslims exclusively.

"Under the provisions of Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act, the reservation provided to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Category-I, Category-IIA and Category-IIB contractors in works will be increased to Rs 2 crore," Siddaramaiah said.

According to officials, the amendment was cleared on Saturday.