State planning law to hike reservation to 70%: CM

The government is keen on bringing a legislation to provide job reservation up to 70% in the next legislature session, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Monday.

The chief minister, who was here to propose Rahul Gandhi's nomination for election to the the post of Congress president, told reporters, "we are in favour of bringing more socially and economically deprived castes under reservation."

"We will bring a legislation to provide job reservation up to 70%. At present, Tamil Nadu has passed such a legislation, providing 69% reservation," he said.

To a question on the Supreme Court's cap on reservation up to 50%, the chief minister said though several petitions were pending in the apex court on the issue, the court had not pronounced its final verdict so far.

On the caste census, the chief minister said he had asked the state backward classes commission to submit a comprehensive report.

"After taking into account the backward classes commission report on caste census, we will prepare the new legislation," he said.

Though the government had asked the commission to submit the report at the earliest, no deadline was fixed.  

"The BJP leaders are trying to stoke communal violence in the state. The government will not allow any violence in the name of religion."