Internal quota: Options being worked out to bring about consensus

Monday evening saw hectic parleys among Ministers and officials belonging to Scheduled Castes to arrive at a consensus on the internal reservation on the eve of the special Cabinet meeting, even as the Dalit left (Madigas) and the Dalit right (Holeyas) continued to exert pressure on the government.

While the Dalit left groups continued with their protest demanding the implementation of the H.N. Nagamohan Das Commission report, the Dalit right groups converged in Bengaluru to bring pressure to either drop the recommendations or modify it. Both held protests at Freedom Park here on Monday.

Meanwhile, Ministers from the SC community met at the residence of Home Minister G. Parameshwara on Monday evening. The special Cabinet meeting scheduled for Saturday was postponed to Tuesday over a lack of consensus.

The commission has recommended 1% to Category A for microscopic communities, 6% to Category B for Dalit left, 5% to Category C for Dalit right, 4% to Category D for touchable communities of Bhovis, Lambanis, Korchas, and Kormas and 1% to Category E comprising AD, AK, and AA.

Multiple sources said that several retired officials from both Dalit left and right groups have been trying to bring about a formula acceptable to both groups.

Two options

While one formula is to drop 1% given to AD, AA, and AK in Category E and increase the percentage to Dalit right to 6%, and add the three communities to the Dalit right group or split them between the Dalit right and the Dalit left.

The other formula is to increase the reservation percentage of Dalit right to 7% and bring all Dalit right communities that are in Category A, B, and E together. The Dalit right groups have been pointing at “scattering” of their allied castes in three categories, thus reducing their actual numbers and also reservation percentage.

Commission sources said that some vulnerable castes had been moved to Category 1 given their backwardness and inability to compete with Category C. The logic was that unequal castes cannot compete.

Sources in Dalit right groups (including Chalavadi Mahasabha) said they have told Ministers that the report can be accepted only with revision in categorisation and reservation matrix.

Sources in the Federation for Social Justice for Scheduled Castes, representing microscopic communities and the Dalit left, said that though Mr. Das’s recommendations were scientific and backed by data, it was open for small revision.

“We are tired of fighting for three decades and we want an end to the internal reservation conflict,” said a source.

Meanwhile, the representatives of Federation of Dalit Sangharsha Samitis, who met the Chief Minister on Monday, have also urged the State government to accept the report by revising certain aspects of the recommendations. In a memorandum, they said that efforts should be made to keep the unity among the 101 SCs and ensure fairness.

Quantum of quota

Ahimsa, a group representing minorities, backward classes and general category employees of the government, on Monday appealed to the government not to breach the 50% reservation mark as per the direction of the Supreme Court. Incidentally, the reservation for SCs and STs was increased from 15% to 17% and 3% to 7%, respectively, based on recommendations by Mr. Das, who headed another commission on increasing reservation. This took the total reservation matrix which was at 49% to 56%. Other Backward Classes have a reservation of 32%.