Former minister calls for internal quota SC order implementation

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: Civil society organisation from the Madiga Dalit caste and their subcastes have demanded the immediate implementation of the Supreme Court (SC) on internal reservation in the Scheduled Caste (SC) quota.

Among the people making the demand was former Union Minister of State for Social Welfare and ex-Chitradurga MP Anekal Narayanaswamy. This demand was made during a meeting at Gandhi Bhavan in Bengaluru on Sunday which was organised by the Madiga Political Forum (MPF) and ‘Shudra Pratishthana’ (Backward Class Foundation).

On the occasion, Narayanaswamy released books namely ‘Mathru Shilpee’ (Sculpture of the Mother) and ‘Marathake Idalagede’ (Up For Sale).

The Apex Court on August 1 had ruled that State governments can carve out sub-classifications within the SC category provided they had the data to justify the exact breakdown of the internal quota.

Narayanaswamy and the MPF also demanded that the recruitment process be halted until the Apex Court's verdict on internal reservation is implemented by the State government.

Timmapur on board

On the occasion, Excise Minister RB Thimmapur assured that discussions with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would be held to ensure that leaders from all communities, including the Madiga community, are involved in implementing the internal reservation.

He praised the efforts of various leaders and large gatherings in Belagavi and Hubballi that led to the eventual SC order. Narayanaswamy highlighted the need for raising awareness about internal reservation among marginalized communities, noting that many people still lack a proper understanding of the issue.

The meeting was attended by other notable figures, including former Rajya Sabha member L Hanumanthaiah, former Legislative Council member Dharmasena, internal reservation activists, and other prominent leaders from various communities.

Know Sadashiva Commission

The Sadashiva Commission was set up back in 2005 under the Congress-JD(S) coalition government led by Dharam Singh and was submitted to the BJP government in 2012.

The report concluded that ritually right-hand Dalits namely Holeyas alongside “touchable” nomadic SCs like Bhovis and Lambanis were overrepresented in the quota. It had added that ritually left hand Dalits like Madigas, apart from smaller Dalit castes had been deprived.

There are a total of 101 castes under the 15 per cent SC quota in Karnataka right now. The report had disclosed that Holeyas and its 24 sub-castes constitute 32.01 per cent of the SC population. Madigas and its 29 sub-castes are 33.47 per cent.

“Touchable” nomadic castes are about 23.64 per cent while others are 4.65 per cent.