Karnataka bandh: What the pro-Kannada groups are demanding for?

As the Karnataka bandh called by pro-Kannada groups enters into the second half of the day, normal life across the capital city Bengaluru and other parts of the state remained more or less unaffected.

Barring a stray incident of stone pelting at a bus in Dakshina Kannada district, the bandh was peaceful in the morning hours.

The bandh was called by the Karnataka Sangathanegala Okkoota, a group of organisations in Karnataka, who were demanding the implementation of a 1984 report related to reservation for Kannadigas in private and public sector jobs.

The report in question is the Sarojini Mahishi report compiled by a committee headed by former Union Minister Sarojini Mahishi to recommend job opportunities for Kannadigas in Karnataka through 58 recommendations. It submitted the report two years later in 1986.

The report suggested 100% reservation for Kannadigas across all Central public sector units and the state government-run PSUs and a minimum of 65 and 80 per cent jobs in Group A and Group B jobs respectively.

It also recommended reservation in Group-C and Group-D jobs in Central government departments. Along with that, the report committee also suggested that every personnel officer across industrial units in the state should be a Kannadiga and that the industries should appoint local people on priority.

Coming to the private sector, the committee recommended that all jobs barring the senior position or skilled jobs be reserved for Kannadigas.