Poll day approaches, quota row worsens

On Thursday last, the Karnataka high court in a momentous decision, stayed the creation of two new categories of reservation by the BJP government in the state for the Vokkaligas and the Lingayats, the two dominant communities, and ruled that the status quo should be maintained as far as the quota matrix is concerned. The verdict came amid the ongoing clamour by different communities for a bigger share of the reservation pie in a state where caste rules supreme in all spheres of life-education, employment, politics or even in government departments.

This is a state where maths wield enormous clout over the communities they claim to represent and where seers are revered and their advice sought on any crucial matter-political or otherwise. And politicians know better than anyone else that the right signal from the math heads would be enough to make adherents of the faith make or wreck their political future.

In fact it was the Bommai government which set the ball rolling for caste appeasement obviously to further its political interests by moving a bill for upping the reservation for Scheduled Castes from 15 to 17 per cent and for Scheduled Tribes from 3 to 7 percent. This was no doubt a politically shrewd move considering that the SCs who make up 16 per cent of Karnataka’s population, have traditionally been supporters of the Congress.

But the move led to the opening of a Pandora’s box with other communities like the Banajigas and the Panchamasali Lingayats upping the ante for a greater share of the quota pie. The Panchamasalis who claim to be the biggest sect among the Lingayats, are still on the warpath and it remains to be seen how the BJP, which has always relied on the backing of the Lingayats, will resolve this vexed issue to the satisfaction of all sections concerned.

As polling day approaches, calls for a hike in reservation are likely to reach a crescendo and what is troubling is that a poll campaign in which quota discussions dominate, is likely to shift the focus from other important issues the state is facing.

There is for instance the crumbling infrastructure in Bengaluru, the spiraling corruption in government departments including the 40 percent commission charge made by the Karnataka Contractors Association, the agrarian crisis and inflationary trends, joblessness in the aftermath of the pandemic and the lack of developmental initiatives on the part of the government. The problems the IT sector faces in a state where it contributes hugely to the economy in terms of revenue, jobs and growth could also become a debating point during the polls particularly among voters in Bengaluru with its 28 Assembly constituencies.

Attempts by some sections to polarize communities based on religion would have become a talking point but all that would be relegated to the background if caste-based quotas take over the discourse. In a state where there is always talk of a leader from the majority community becoming CM and subtle attempts are inevitably made to ensure every caste or community gets its share of political benefits and does not feel left out in any manner, the fulcrum of the poll debate this time is not expected to be any different.

Popular issues like price rise, the framing of schemes to ensure relief for the poor and deprived across communities and measures to ensure education and access to affordable healthcare for everyone should be high on every voter’s mind as poll day approaches but whether it will happen with caste-based wranglings and the quota fight touching a new high, remains to be seen.