Bengaluru, Sep 6 (NationPress) Former Chief Minister and MP Basavaraj Bommai has condemned the Karnataka government, claiming it has made a political compromise on the matter of internal reservation by implementing the 6-6-5 formula and halting further progress.

At a press conference held at the BJP state headquarters, Jagannath Bhavan in Bengaluru on Saturday, he urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to demonstrate political resolve and deliver justice to the most disenfranchised communities. “The confusion must be resolved. Otherwise, you risk earning a reputation for internal disputes within the SC category, pitting one sub-caste against another,” he cautioned.

“You have accepted what the BJP-led administration had previously enacted. Having opposed it at that time, will you now retract your earlier statements and apologize to these communities?” he questioned.

“Will you enhance the reservation by even a single percent over 17 percent and strive to provide justice for all?” he further inquired.

“If the decision was politically motivated, then why were all these commissions established?” he asked.

Bommai noted that the Justice Nagamohan Das Committee report was stalled for two to three weeks before the Cabinet finally reached a decision, disregarding its recommendations. Similarly, the Sadashiva Commission report concerning internal reservation was dismissed, and even Madhuswamy’s report was overlooked.

“This is unconstitutional. You have ignored the findings of three commissions, as well as the Supreme Court’s rulings. All of this has been orchestrated for political advantage and to secure votes,” Bommai alleged.

He accused CM Siddaramaiah of committing injustice to all communities by neglecting to implement the Supreme Court’s ruling aimed at ensuring social justice.

“The allocation does not reflect the population proportions. Communities like Adi Dravida and Adi Karnataka should have been classified separately. AK, AD, and AA do not belong to any specific subgroup, and the government's order lacks clarity. It should have been issued with both social justice and common sense in mind. Instead, the communities are left in a state of confusion,” Bommai remarked.

He also pointed out that nomadic communities, residing at the very bottom of the social hierarchy, have been entirely excluded from reservations.

“No one is satisfied. Even those who are favored are discontent. The Lanchaani and Bovi communities received an additional 0.5 percent, and 59 other castes were included. The only response we receive from the government is ‘Go to court’,” he commented.

Bommai emphasized that during the freedom struggle, Mahatma Gandhi’s vision was for every community to participate. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, on the other hand, was focused on the future of the most oppressed communities.

“A week-long discussion took place in Pune Jail between Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Ambedkar. Based on Gandhi ji’s assurances, Dalit communities who had been most oppressed engaged wholeheartedly in the freedom struggle, giving it completeness,” he stated.

“These issues were considered when drafting the Constitution. Initially, six communities from Karnataka were included in the SC list. Today, that number has increased to 101. The Congress party has reaped the benefits of the freedom struggle, but instead of realizing Dr. Ambedkar’s vision, they have focused on preserving their own political status,” he alleged.

The Constitution explicitly states that SC and ST communities must receive reservations. Bommai noted that the Congress has governed Karnataka for 55–60 years. “They kept adding communities to the SC list, yet when the population increased, they never considered raising the reservation quota,” he criticized.

“The SC category, which once included six castes, now encompasses 101 castes. The percentage of reservation has not increased. This has led to dissatisfaction within the communities and incited repeated protests. The demand for internal reservation initially emerged from neighboring Andhra Pradesh and subsequently gained traction in Karnataka. During the coalition government, the Nagamohan Das Committee was established. It was only due to pressure from BJP CM Yediyurappa that we obtained the report. The committee recommended increasing SC reservation from 15 percent to 17 percent and ST reservation from 3 percent to 7 percent,” Bommai explained.

“When I was Chief Minister in 2022, despite opposition from many factions, I implemented the recommendations. Many warned me it was akin to stirring a beehive. I stated, ‘Let the bees sting me, but let the community at least savor a drop of honey’,” he professed.

“At that time, Siddaramaiah traversed the state claiming it was not legally valid. Yet today, he has embraced the very same decision,” Bommai charged.

“We forwarded our decision to the Centre. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, dedicated to social justice, does not merely shout and run around like these individuals. He established a permanent backward classes commission. The UPA government failed to do such things, nor did CM Siddaramaiah make any recommendations,” Bommai stated.

“For Siddaramaiah, whatever Modi does is intolerable,” he alleged.

“Subsequently, the Supreme Court rendered its verdict, clearly indicating that any increase in reservation must be based on caste surveys, assessing backwardness within communities, and ensuring that equals and unequals are not categorized together,” Bommai stated. “Once more, the Nagamohan Das Committee was constituted and has submitted its report,” he added.

MP Govind Karjol, Legislative Council Opposition Leader Chalawadi Narayanaswamy, former Union Minister A. Narayanaswamy, and BJP State General Secretary P. Rajeev were also in attendance.