Siddaramaiah bats for 75 per cent reservation for Dalits, BCs, minorities

Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday called for increasing reservation for Dalits, backward communities and minorities to 75 per cent, saying social justice could not be achieved without providing communities representation in proportion to their population.

Speaking at the silver jubilee celebrations of the Karnataka State Backward Castes Federation, Siddaramaiah said the caste survey conducted during his earlier tenure as chief minister should be implemented and its findings made public.

“If all of you are to get social justice, there must be at least 75 per cent reservation. Dalits, backward communities and minorities, all of them must get 75 per cent,” he said.

Siddaramaiah argued that reservation should be linked to the population of different communities to ensure an “equal share for everyone”.

He also called for similar representation in the Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assemblies, saying political equality was essential for creating an egalitarian society.

The former chief minister said the caste survey was necessary because there were no reliable figures on the population of backward communities. He recalled that he had ordered the survey after becoming chief minister in 2013, but it was not completed during his tenure.

Siddaramaiah was referring to the report of the Backward Classes Commission headed by Madhusudan Naik, which he said he had accepted before demitting office. He said a court order currently prevented the report from being implemented or made public.

He also said the caste system had historically denied large sections of society access to education and opportunities and that the struggle for equality must continue as long as social inequalities persisted.

“As long as the caste system exists in society, as long as an equal society is not created and as long as equal opportunities are not provided to everyone, the struggle must continue,” he said.

Highlighting measures taken during his tenure, Siddaramaiah said the budget of the Backward Classes Department had risen from Rs 5 crore when it was established to Rs 4,461 crore in 2026-27. He said 2,712 hostels currently housed 2.58 lakh students from backward communities.

He also referred to the establishment of Morarji Desai residential schools and said 542 hostels and residential schools had been set up between 2003 and 2018. Under the Vidyashree scheme, he said, students unable to secure hostel accommodation were provided Rs 1,500 a month.

Siddaramaiah said the federation represented 752 of Karnataka’s 806 backward communities and argued that other categories, including 2B, 3A and 3B, should also be brought within its ambit.

He also called for reforms to the electoral system, saying elections had become “very expensive” and needed to be changed.

(With inputs from PTI)