Next Cabinet meet will decide on SC internal quota report: CM

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said the next State Cabinet meeting will take a decision on accepting the report of A J Sadashiva Commission, which has recommended internal reservation among the Scheduled Castes.

Speaking at the birth anniversary celebrations of Babu Jagjivan Ram at the Vidhana Soudha, Siddaramaiah said that the report, once cleared by the Cabinet, will have to be sent to the Centre, as a suitable law will have to be brought in by Parliament to incorporate the recommendations.

The Commission, which submitted its report to the government in June 2012 to the then BJP government, had recommended that the present 15 per cent reservation benefits for the Scheduled Castes be divided among the left hand, right hand, other Scheduled Castes and ‘touchable’ groups in the ratio of six, five, one and three per cent, respectively.

The panel was set up in September 2005, following complaints by the most backward groups within the Scheduled Caste category that only some groups had cornered all the reservation benefits, while they had been denied their fair share of the Constitutional rights.

Various dalit groups have been demanding that the government take steps to implement internal reservation among the Scheduled Castes. Even during the Thursday’s function at the Vidhana Soudha, a section of the audience raised slogans seeking that the government accept the recommendations of the Sadashiva Commission. They insisted that Siddaramaiah clarify the government’s stand on the issue.

Former Union minister K H Muniyappa wondered aloud why Siddaramaiah was delaying the implementation of the recommendations.

The report had been listed on the agenda of the State Cabinet for discussion last month but was deferred, as several ministers were learnt to have suggested that implementing the recommendations would open a “Pandora’s box”.

Siddaramaiah said while there was a churning in class, caste had become stagnant in society.

A poor man’s son can become rich, but he will forever remain stuck to his caste, he said. He also listed out the programmes announced by the government for the welfare of the dalits.

Earlier, Siddaramaiah presented the Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Award for 2014-15 to dalit activist N Muniswamy of Chintamani, Kolar district. A four-member selection committee headed by writer Marulasiddappa had come up with the name of Muniswamy. The award carries a citation, a gold coin and a purse of Rs five lakh.