Despite promising in its manifesto that it would implement the Justice A J Sadashiva Commission report to provide for internal reservations for the Scheduled Castes (SCs) in Karnataka, the Congress dispensation in the state has now put the ball over the issue in the court of the BJP-ruled Centre.

This was decided by the Congress Cabinet led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at a meeting here on Thursday, following which the government said that the implementation of the Dalit sub-quotas would be only possible if the Central government ensures the amendment of Article 341 of the Constitution.

“Parliament is the only authority (on the SC internal reservation issue). State government has no role – it is only a recommendatory body,” Social Welfare Minister H C Mahadevappa said.

The state government will compile a list of all recommendations made regarding Dalit sub-quotas and submit them to the Centre, he said. The Congress had made a pledge ahead of the May 2023 Assembly polls that it would accept the Sadashiva panel report soon after coming to power. However, the Minister claimed Thursday that it could not be done as the erstwhile Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government had rejected the panel’s report.

“After the Congress announced (that it would accept the Sadashiva panel’s report), the BJP government, in a hurry, formed a Cabinet sub-committee under Law Minister and recommended SC internal reservations to the Centre. They (also) said that the Sadashiva Commission was irrelevant and closed,” Mahadevappa said.

The Bommai government had announced the SC internal reservations in March 2023, days before the Election Commission’s model code of conduct came into force for the polls.

The BJP government had then proposed sub-quotas in the 17% SC reservation in the state by splitting it into 6% for the most backward SC (Left) group, 5.5% for the less backward SC (Right), and 4.5% for the SC (touchable) group, with other SC communities getting the remaining 1%. This had triggered protests across the state, especially from the SC (touchable) groups such as Bhovis and Banjaras, who, in the past, were accused of cornering a lion’s share of the Dalit quota.

The SC sub-quotas announced by the BJP government was based on Justice Nagamohan Das Commission’s report, Mahadevappa said. “They announced it without applying any legal mind.”

The Nagamohan Das panel was constituted by the then BJP government in October 2019 to look into the demand of hiking SC/ST reservation.

The Sadashiva panel was set up in 2005 by the then Congress-JD(S) government to look into the demand for the SC internal reservations, which submitted its report in 2012 to the then BJP government. However, it has not been tabled by the successive governments led by all the three major players – the Congress, BJP and JD(S).

The Dalit (Left) group’s key demand has been the implementation of the Sadashiva panel’s report. Among the key findings of this Commission, made public through a press release, was that the Madiga community or the SC (Left), who are considered untouchables in the caste hierarchy, were more socially backward than the right Dalit group. The panel also found that a majority of the then 15% SC reservation was being cornered by the right Dalits and other SC groups such as Bhovis and Lambanis.

State Food and Civil Supplies Minister K H Muniyappa said Thursday that the Cabinet decision did not deviate from the two-decade long struggle of the SC communities such as Madigas – the largest group in the SC (Left) community – seeking internal reservation. “The fight of the Madiga community was to urge the state government to make recommendations to the Centre for a constitutional amendment,” he claimed, adding that the Congress had fulfilled this demand.

Interestingly, the Basavaraj Bommai government had also sent its SC internal reservation proposal to the Centre for its approval, but had not pressed for a constitutional amendment, according to sources in the state Law Department.

The Siddaramaiah government has however decided to urge the Centre to amend the Constitution by inserting a provision under Article 341 – Article 341(3) – to allow states to provide internal reservations.

Reacting to the Siddaramaiah Cabinet’s move, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment A Narayanaswamy said the state government does not have the power to seek such an amendment.

“Siddaramaiah should note that the Punjab government did not seek Centre’s permission to implement internal reservation,” Narayanaswamy said.

The implementation of internal reservation in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu helped several untouchable communities, he said. “It is still in force. They had not sought permission from any Central government,” he said, noting that the internal reservation matter has been pending before the Supreme Court.

A prominent Madiga leader, Narayanaswamy was said to have played a key role in the Bommai government’s SC sub-quota proposal.