KERFUFFLE IN KARNATAKA

1. Context

2. What is Karnataka's current reservation policy?

• Reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes, and Muslims are capped at 50% in accordance with an order of the supreme court.
• The quota break-up is as follows: Category I (Backward Classes) 4%; Category II A (OBCs) 15%; Category II B (Muslims) 4%; Category III A (Vokkaligas, etc.) 4%; Category III B (Lingayats, Marathas, Bunts, Christians) 5%; SCs 15%; and STs 3%.
• A total 95 communities and their sub-sects are recognised as Backward Classes, and 102 communities and their sub-sects as OBCs.

3. What are the major communities in Karnataka interms of population?

• The Veerashaiva Lingayats are considered the single largest entity in Karnataka's 6 crore population, making up around 17%.
• Vokkalingas are at 15%, Muslims 9% and Kurubas around 8%.
• The Backward Classes block of various sub-castes minus the Kurubas make up around 25%. SCs are around 15%, and STs 3%.

4. Who are Lingayats?

• The Lingayats are a dominant community who make up nearly 17 % of Karnataka's six crore population followed by Vokkalingas. The new categories will not affect the existing reservation provided to other communities.
• The term Lingayat denote a person who wears a personal linga, an iconic form of god shiva, on the body which is received during the initiation ceremony.
• Lingayats are the followers of the 12th century social reformer- philosopher poet, Basaveshwara.
• Lingayats had been classified as a Hindu subcaste called "Veerashaiva Lingayats" and they are considered to be Shaivates.

5. Who are Vokkalingas?

• It is even believed that the Rashtrakutas and Western Gangas were of Vokkalinga origin.
• The Vokkalinga caste originates in the Indian state of Karnataka.
• As a company of warriors and cultivators, they have historically wielded tremendous demographic, political, and economic dominance in Old Mysore.

6. How has OBC and SC reservation changed?

• The Cabinet decided to exclude Muslims from the OBC category and scrapped the 4% reservation given to them under Category 2B.
• This has been divided equally among Vokkalingas and VeerashaivaLingayats for whom new categories of 2C and 2D have been created respectively.
• Following the change, the reservation quantum for Vokkalingas and others in the group went up from 4% and 6% and for VeerashaivaLingayats and others in the group, from 5% to 7%.
• Earlier, the two communities were under 3A and 3B respectively, which stand scrapped.
• The Cabinet also recommended internal reservation among the 101 SCs, a long pending demand of the SC(left) faction to the Union Government.
• Of the 17% reservation given to SCs in Karnataka, it has sliced up 6% to SC (left), 5.5 % to SC (right), 4.5 % to SC (touchable) and 1% to SC (others).
• While the basis for internal reservation was the recommendation of the A.J. Sadashiva Commission report of 2012 when reservation to SCs was pegged at 15%, the Government has adjusted the share, based on Cabinet subcommittee report, as per the new reservation quota that has been hiked to 17%.

7. How are Muslims Losing out?

• The BJP, which does not count Muslims among its voter base, has scrapped the reservation for Muslims, arguing that backward classes reservation is not based on religion.
• Since 1995, the community has been given 4% reservation under Category 2B on grounds of being socially and educationally backward.
• Since the community has now lost its social and educational backwardness reservation status, it can claim reservation under the 10% quota for Economically Weaker sections. This change has to be approved by the centre.
• However, Christians, Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists and converted Christians continue to remain in the backward classes category. Also, nomadic Muslims in Category 1 continue to remain there.

8. Why was such a decision made?

• The BJP, which draws strength from the numerically strong Panchamasalis, a subsect among VeerashaivaLingayats, was under pressure as the community led by Kudalasangama Seer Sri Jayamruthyunjaya Swami has been agitating for two years seeking 2A status in the OBC list for the community.
• As far as Vokkalingas are concerned, the decision came much before they mounted any serious pressure on the BJP who is struggling to break into the Old Mysore region, which is the Vokkalinga heartland.

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