No legal hurdle to provide internal quota within 15%: Madiga leaders

Bengaluru: Leaders from the Madiga community on Tuesday urged the government to provide internal reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs) by proportionately reducing the 6-6-5 formula within the earlier 15% basket.

Addressing a press conference, Food and Civil Supplies Minister K H Muniyappa said: “The advocate general has
clarified that there is no problem in providing internal reservation for SCs within the 15% bracket… We met the chief minister today and he has said this issue can be discussed in the Cabinet meeting on March 05… This (internal reservation) must happen and we will resolve it.”

While leaders from the Madiga community have supported the government’s decision to fill over 56,000 jobs by following the earlier
practice of 50% reservation (recruiting 94% jobs and keeping 6% jobs in abeyance, subject to the final decision of the courts), they have opposed the decision excluding internal reservation while recruiting jobs for the 15% quota available to SCs. 

However, ministers from the SC (Right) community are reportedly not in favour of providing internal reservation during the current recruitment process. 

Noting that there had been doubts at the time of the Cabinet meeting on February 26 on whether the court’s decision would impact the entire recruitment process, including non-SC jobs, Muniyappa said: “Now it’s clarified that the decisions of the court will not impact the non-SC jobs (85%). So, there’s no hurdle to provide internal reservation within 15%.”

Former MP L Hanumanthaiah urged the government to provide internal reservation by proportionately reducing the 6-6-5 formula (6% for Madigas and affiliated castes, 6% for Holeyas and affiliated castes and 5% Lambani, Bhovi, Korma and Korcha and 59 ‘most backward’ communities) for 15%.

“No one is explaining why internal reservation cannot be provided by proportionately reducing the 6-6-5 formula. There’s no question of going back.” 

Leaders explained that a proportional recalibration would mostly result in a 5.5-5.5-4 formula.