With the elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh over, the Bharatiya Janata Party has its target set on its southern bastion Karnataka, which will have elections in a few months. However, the party finds itself in a precarious situation with two key and politically powerful communities, Vokkaligas and Lingayats, pushing for an increase in reservation — a move that could make or break governments. Influential leaders from both communities have set deadlines to meet their demands. While the Panchasmali Lingayats have sought a decision by December 19, the Vokkaligas have set a January 2 deadline.
So what is it that they want?
The demands by these communities have been rekindled after the Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government in Karnataka recently hiked the reservation for the Scheduled Caste (15 to 17 per cent) and Scheduled Tribe (3 to 7 per cent) communities, taking the total reservation in Karnataka to 56 per cent. The strategy clearly has the upcoming polls in mind.
Both upper castes, the Lingayats and Vokkaligas have dominated politics in Karnataka for several decades. The Lingayats constitute around 17 per cent of Karnataka’s population while Vokkaligas account for around 15 per cent. The political fortunes of the BJP also depend on how the Panchamsali Lingayats are kept appeased as they dominate the Kittur Karnataka region and can influence over 100 assembly seats.
Though Karnataka’s political landscape has been dotted with several chief ministers from the Lingayat community like S Nijalignappa (Congress), SR Bommai (Janata Party), JH Patel (JDS), BS Yediyurappa, Jagdish Shettar, and Basavaraj Bommai (all from the BJP), the Panchamasali sect has been claiming that it has not been given significant political representation despite forming a large chunk of the Veerashaiva Lingayat caste pie chart.
THE PANCHAMASALI LINGAYAT RESERVATION DEMAND
A deadline of December 19 has been set by the Panchamasali Lingayats, a subsect of the Lingayat community, to hike the reservation status. The date that has been set is the first day of the winter session of the Karnataka legislative assembly and prominent seers of the Panchamasali community warned the Karnataka chief minister Bommai that he was sitting on a “time bomb” if he did not take their demand seriously. The Panchamasali community has been seeking inclusion under the 2A category of the OBC quota to be eligible for 15 per cent reservations for government jobs and education. The current quota is 5 per cent.
In Karnataka’s 6 crore population, the Panchamasalis claim to comprise more than 70 per cent of the state’s 17 per cent Lingayat populace. Veerashaiva Panchamasali Lingayats who are presently classified under category 3B are seeking to be classified under the more backward category 2A of the OBC.
Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swami, a prominent seer had threatened to launch an agitation earlier this year and protest in front of the Shiggaon (Haveri) residence of Bommai – a Lingayat – if the reservation demand is not met. Another Lingayat seer, Sri Vachananda Swami, who was once seen using a public platform to warn the then sitting chief minister BS Yediyurappa of losing his political clout if he did not include more ‘Panchamsalis’ while expanding his cabinet has also jumped into the bandwagon of those building pressure on the ruling BJP.
“CM Bommai’s delaying tactics are pressurising us to escalate our agitation. The community has been patient and when the reservation quota to other groups has been increased why not take a call on our demand?” said Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swami.
This is not the first time that the Panchamasali Lingayats have staged a protest demanding reservations. In 2021, influential and prominent Lingayat seers led a protest march spanning over two months from North Karnataka’s Bagalkot to Bengaluru demanding this hike in the reservation. After much persuasion, then CM Yediyurappa convinced them to withdraw their protest seeking time to address their demand constitutionally and legally.
Murugesh Nirani, a senior BJP leader and now industries minister in the Bommai government, was among the first to start the call for agitation against reservation. He was at the time not inducted into the cabinet but later quietened down on being given a plump portfolio. Another BJP MLA aspiring for a ministerial berth, Basavaraj Yatnal, took over the protest demand and threatened to go on a hunger strike if it was not met.
Yediyurappa constituted a three-member committee under the chairmanship of retired high court judge Subhash Adi to find a solution. As the pressure built on the Bommai government, he is said to have sought a report from the advocate general on “if reservation could be provided, in accordance with Constitutional provisions and Supreme Court orders”. In parallel, a government source revealed that a survey is being conducted by the Karnataka state backward classes commission to ascertain whether provisions can be made for the Panchamsalis based on their socioeconomic status and backwardness. However, the BJP government got a breather after the Karnataka High Court ordered a stay on the evaluation of the community’s backwardness in August.
The state BJP unit, News18 has learnt, has now turned towards the central leadership and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to try and find a solution to this issue. The party is hoping that the Modi magic may help woo back these key communities and return to power.
VOKKALIGAS DEMAND A BIGGER CHUNK
The Vokkaligas are another large chunk and equally politically influential community like the Lingayats. Their community leaders also chimed in with the Lingayats seeking a hike in OBC quota from their present 4 per cent to 12 per cent. Vokkaligas comprise 16 per cent of the voting population in the state. Just as we saw among the Panchamsali Lingayats, influential seers from the Vokkaliga community also began putting pressure on the state government.
With its eyes set on trying to make significant political gains in the Old Mysore region, the BJP will have to appease the Vokkaliga community which is said to have a stronghold in the area. The decision by the party will have to be done in a manner that does not affect the social balance in the state. The BJP’s fortunes could considerably improve if it has major support from the community.
Swami Nirmalanandanatha, a prominent Vokkaliga seer who has also been among those spearheading the rising demand for a hike in reservation said that not all 115 subsects of their community have been categorised as OBC. Many have been deprived of basic quota benefits like in government job placements and their inclusion is a must, they stressed.
Known to be largely economically well-off, the Vokkaligas are now seeking to be added to the central OBC list and are categorised under category 3A of the OBC block. Under this, they have been given the entitled 4 per cent reservation. But a section of Vokkaligas which include political leaders and influential seers have been seeking higher reservations in the OBC pool commensurate with their population. Vokkaligas form 16 per cent of Karnataka’s population, but have just 4 per cent reservation, which is disproportionate, they say.
A memorandum signed unanimously by several Vokkaliga seers and community MLAs across party lines was submitted to the revenue minister and BJP MLA R Ashoka. He had promised to make “honest efforts to convince the leadership” of the demands and try to fulfil them. Swami Nirmalanandanatha stressed that they were ready to take the struggle to the next level and fight till their demands are met.
“The state government will have to take a close look at all the demands and discuss them with the Centre. This is no simple matter and we understand what it would mean electorally for us as well,” expressed a senior BJP minister when asked about the demand by News18.
OTHER COMMUNITIES CHIME IN
Not wanting to be left behind, various other communities have also raised their demands for increased reservations.
The Kuruba constitute the third largest caste group after the Lingayats and Vokkaligas, which is currently classified under the 2A category in the OBC list, seeking to recategorise the entire community as Scheduled Tribe (ST). Siddaramaiah, leader of opposition and the man who enjoys the support of the AHINDA (Alpasankhyataru or Minorities, Hindulidavaru or backward classes, and Dalitaru or Dalits) community, is a Kuruba.
The Valmiki-Nayakas, another influential Scheduled Tribe community represented by senior BJP leader B Sreeramulu, has also renewed its demand for increasing the quantum of the ST quota from 3 per cent to 7.5 per cent. Members of the Savitha samaja and Uppara communities who are numerically much smaller have also raised their demand for better representation this election season.
Read all the Latest Explainers here
Comments
0 comment