Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Member of Parliament Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday announced that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will launch a statewide public awareness campaign against the Congress-led state government's alleged rollback of enhanced reservations for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) — quotas that were raised during the previous BJP administration. The announcement came after a meeting with BJP SC/ST leaders at Bommai's residence in Bengaluru.

Key Allegations Against the Congress Government

Addressing the media after the meeting, Bommai accused the state government of committing a "great injustice" to SC, ST, and OBC communities. He alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who has long claimed to champion the cause of the AHINDA coalition — a political grouping of minorities, backward classes, and Dalits — was now acting against the very communities that had supported him politically.

Bommai said that BJP leaders including state party President B.Y. Vijayendra, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka, former Deputy Chief Minister and MP Govind Karjol, and BJP MLC N. Ravikumar had collectively decided to build public awareness on the issue.

The Reservation Enhancement at Stake

Bommai recalled that the Nagamohan Das Commission report on reservation enhancement was submitted during the tenure of the coalition government, and that during his own tenure as Chief Minister, SC reservation was raised from 15 per cent to 17 per cent while ST reservation was increased from 3 per cent to 7 per cent. He said the enhanced quota had meaningfully benefited students from both communities.

"Nearly 4,000 additional engineering seats and around 400 additional medical seats became available due to the increased reservation. The Supreme Court order has been in force for the past four years," Bommai said.

He also pointed to the Supreme Court Constitutional bench ruling that granted state governments the power to implement internal reservation within SC and ST communities, noting that states like Telangana and Haryana had already acted on it. He alleged that the Congress government in Karnataka and Dalit leaders within the party lacked interest in pursuing internal reservation.

The Contradiction BJP Is Highlighting

Bommai accused the Congress government of creating deliberate confusion by failing to properly implement the Supreme Court order, the Nagamohan Das report, and the J.C. Madhuswamy Committee report simultaneously. He alleged that while the state government had informed the court it would implement 15 per cent SC reservation, it had passed legislation during the Belagavi session fixing SC reservation at 17 per cent and ST reservation at 7 per cent.

"On one hand, they passed a law fixing reservation at 17 per cent and 7 per cent, while on the other hand they are implementing 15 per cent and three per cent reservation. Dalit communities should understand this contradiction," he said.

Ninth Schedule Debate

Bommai also addressed discussions around placing the enhanced reservation law under the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, a move that would ordinarily shield legislation from judicial review. He alleged, however, that the state government was using the Ninth Schedule issue to deflect attention from its policy failures. "Even if a law is placed under the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, it can still be challenged. The state government is trying to divert attention from its failures by exerting pressure regarding the Ninth Schedule," he said.

Valmiki Community Meets CM Siddaramaiah

In a parallel development, a delegation of leaders and seers from the Valmiki community in Karnataka, led by former Lok Sabha member V.S. Ugrappa, met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at his official residence Krishna on Tuesday. The delegation submitted a memorandum under the banner of the Karnataka State Valmiki Samaj Saman Manaskara Vedike, urging the state government to take steps to include the reservation enhancement law under the Ninth Schedule. The memorandum noted that the enhanced quotas — SC at 17 per cent and ST at 7 per cent — had taken the state's total reservation to 56 per cent.

With the BJP's awareness campaign set to roll out across Karnataka and community groups pressing the government from multiple fronts, the reservation debate is poised to intensify ahead of upcoming political cycles in the state.