As the Opposition BJP continued to attack the ruling Congress in Karnataka over increasing reservation for minorities in housing schemes from 10% to 15%, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has underlined that the decision was in line with the Union government’s guidelines.
Centre’s direction
Hitting back at the BJP in a statement on Friday, he said, “This is based on the Prime Minister’s 15-Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities (2019), which clearly directs all Central and State implementing agencies to earmark 15% of physical and financial targets for minorities wherever possible. This guideline was issued by the BJP-led Union government and has been in force for years. If this was unconstitutional or appeasement, why did the Union government ask all States to follow it? Why is it being implemented under the Central schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana?”
Calling the BJP’s response “both hypocritical and politically motivated”, the Chief Minister said the new quota works within the unreserved category and does not affect SC, ST, or OBC reservations in any manner, as claimed by the BJP. “The decision is legally sound and has been cleared by the Law Department after a thorough review,” he said.
Not blanket
Explaining the reason for the decision, he said, “Our decision does not grant blanket enhancement of quota across the State. It only addresses a specific implementation challenge. In many panchayats where the minority population is less than 10%, the mandated 10% earmarking could not be utilised. To ensure optimal use of the allocated targets and avoid lapses, we have allowed the gap from such panchayats to be reallocated to those with a higher minority population, subject to a cap of 15%. This is an administrative adjustment within the unreserved category.”
The Chief Minister said that over 34,000 additional minority families, most of them landless and in need of housing, will benefit from this decision in the current year. “Where no minority applicants are found in a panchayat, the unutilised share will be reallocated to where there is a higher need, ensuring that not a single house remains unbuilt due to technical rigidities,” he said, urging the BJP “to rise above narrow political calculations and support measures that truly uplift the poor”.
