An NRI Lawyer's Open Letter to Karnataka CM
Honorable Chief Minister
Government of Karnataka
Vidhana Soudha
Bengaluru-Karnataka State
Dear Sir,
We came to know your decision taken in your cabinet meeting held on Friday 24/03/2023 abolishing the reservation of IIB of OBC category, which provided 4% quota exclusively for Muslims in Karnataka.
After abolishing the IIB OBC classification, you have allotted it at the rate of 2% each to Lingayats & Vokkaligas and increased their existing reservation quota respectively. You have also shifted the Muslims to fall under EWS (Economically Weaker Sections, but general category) to avail of the10% reservation quota for education, job and other benefits?.
Like Kapus caste who are mainly agricultural community in the undivided State of Andhra Pradesh, Lingayats & Vokkaligas are socially, politically & economically powerful & dominant community in Karnataka. We have no issue to giving them reservation within the cap, but they are again provided with extra quota that too from what's set forth in the IIB group, which was exclusively given to Muslims at 4%.
Where our children to go and stand with regard to reservations in the field of education, their admission in educational institutions, employment & other benefits?. The 10% reservation under EWS category is pragmatically unreachable for the Muslims while in the race with the people of upper caste categories. Is there no caste-religion based quota for the Muslims in the absence of the IIB reservation as you provided for the Lingayats and Vokkaligas?. This IIB classification, which was granted absolutely for the Muslims, never posed any threat or conundrum to other OBCs reservations.
The abolition of this IIB class reservation is considered to be a discriminatory, unwarranted and preferential step and also a sheer violation of the constitutional provisions. Article 16 (1) & (2) of the Constitution, providing for the equal opportunity & non-discrimination ambience, aimed at creating welfare society in the state as well as nation. By scrapping the IIB category from the state list, the cabinet led by you seemed to have attempted to downsize the social justice & ethos.
The socio-economic & educational condition of the Muslims highlighted in the Justice Sachar Commission report is still not better off than before. We can provide many documentary proofs showing the status of the Muslims in Karnataka. I mean they still remained most backward & all eligible to get more benefits under the exclusive reservation quota. But, it's unfortunate that the existing IIB of OBC category has been abolished by your end. That too ahead of the upcoming state assembly election.
Therefore, I, on behalf of Kannadiga NRI Muslims & like-minded people, request you to restore the IIB category that was sheerly meant for the Karnataka Muslims in the best interest of social justice so that our claim under the IIB quota will not be hampered & affected in the future.
Hope that you will do the needful immediately in this regard.
Kind Regards,
Dr. & Adv. P.A.Hameed Padubidri
Pro-bono Lawyer & Social Worker
Ex-Member of Udupi District Minority Commission
Riyadh-KSA
E-mail: pahpadubidri@gmail.com