Bengaluru: The controversial caste census report submitted by the Backward Classes Commission to the Congress-led government in Karnataka has pegged the Muslim population in the state at 18.08 per cent and recommends 8 per cent reservation for the community, sources confirmed on Sunday.
Currently, the Muslims are getting a 4 per cent reservation in the state.
The caste census report was submitted to the Karnataka state cabinet on Friday, April 10, with a special cabinet meeting scheduled for April 17 to deliberate on its recommendations. While no official statement has been released to the media, details from the cabinet meeting have emerged in the public domain.
According to sources, the report proposes increasing the total reservation in Karnataka to over 75%. It estimates the population of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) at 4.18 crore, Scheduled Castes (SCs) at 1.09 crore, and Scheduled Tribes (STs) at 42.81 lakh.
Sources reveal that the caste census report estimates Other Backward Classes (OBCs) to make up approximately 70% of Karnataka's population. A key recommendation is to raise the reservation quota for OBCs from the current 31% to 51%.
The report categorises the Muslim population under Category 2B, placing it at 18.08% (75.25 lakh individuals). It suggests increasing their reservation from 4% to 8%, which surpasses the Vokkaliga community's proposed 7% reservation. The Vokkaliga population is recorded at 61.68 lakh, making up 10.31% of the total.
Additionally, the Lingayat community, with a population of 66.35 lakh (11.09%), is recommended for an 8% reservation, aligning with the proposed quota for Muslims. Despite being the largest community in the state, the Lingayat population is noted to be lower than the Muslim population in this report.
The Scheduled Castes are shown to have the highest population in the state. The report places the SC population at 1.09 crore and recommends maintaining the reservation at 24.1 per cent. The Scheduled Tribes' population is 42.81 lakh, and the reservation of 9.95 per cent has been recommended.
The newly created Category 1A group – which includes communities such as Golla, Uppara, Mogaveera, Koli, and other marginalised groups – has a population of 73.92 lakh. The report recommends a 12 per cent reservation for this group, according to sources.
Category 2A, which includes communities like Madivala, Ediga, and others, has a population of 77.78 lakh, with a recommended reservation of 10 per cent.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders have indicated that the Congress-led government is prepared to increase the reservation limit in the state. Labour Minister Santhosh Lad stated that the central government has already breached the 50 per cent cap by implementing a 10 per cent reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).
Congress MLC B.K. Hariprasad asserted that the caste census provides the government with empirical data to justify increasing the reservation limit beyond 50 per cent in the state.
The Karnataka government will not take any hasty decision regarding the caste census report, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said on Friday.
Communities such as the Lingayats and Vokkaligas have alleged that the report has done injustice to them in terms of their population representation.
(inputs from IANS)