BJP MLA urges Karnataka Governor to reject Muslim quota bill
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Bengaluru: Senior Karnataka BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal has written to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, urging him to reject the controversial Muslim quota bill and withhold consent for the amendment to the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements Act (KTPP). The amendment allows a 4% reservation for Muslims in government contracts.
In his letter, Yatnal stated that the Karnataka government has introduced a bill in the Legislative Assembly granting a 4% reservation for Muslims in public contracts, which he claims violates constitutional principles. The amendment to the KTPP Act provides this reservation in civil contracts valued up to Rs 2 crore and goods and services contracts up to Rs 1 crore. The Karnataka cabinet approved the amendment last week.
Yatnal argued that Article 15 of the Constitution explicitly prohibits discrimination based on religion and caste. He cited Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's opposition to religion-based reservations during the drafting of the Constitution and noted that courts have previously struck down similar attempts in other states. Despite this, he accused the Congress government of engaging in vote-bank politics by granting a 4 per cent reservation to the Muslim community.
The letter also referenced a Supreme Court ruling that struck down religion-based reservations, including the West Bengal government’s decision to classify 77 predominantly Muslim communities as OBCs for reservation benefits. The Apex Court upheld the Calcutta High Court’s decision to quash the classification.
"As religion-based reservation is under judicial scrutiny, I urge you not to provide consent to this bill, which is unconstitutional and serves no welfare objective but is aimed at appeasing a particular community for political gains. Granting reservations to Muslims in civil contracts endangers national integrity, unity, and sovereignty," Yatnal stated.
He further appealed to the Governor to reject the bill in the interest of ensuring equal treatment for all citizens under the Constitution.
Despite the opposition, the ruling Congress government tabled the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements Amendment (KTPP) Bill in the state Assembly on Tuesday. Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil introduced the bill, asserting that it aims to address unemployment.
Under the proposed reservation structure, Scheduled Castes (SCs) have been allocated 17.15 per cent, Scheduled Tribes (STs) 6.95 per cent, Category 2A 15 per cent, and Muslims under Category 2B 4 per cent.
With IANS inputs