Despite taking the decision to sub-classify the Scheduled Castes (SCs) for giving quotas within quota to the more backward SC groups, the Congress-led governments in Karnataka and Telangana seem to be struggling to implement it.

In a landmark judgment in August, the Supreme Court Constitution Bench allowed the states to sub-classify the SCs / STs (Scheduled Tribes) to ensure grant of sub-quotas for more backward castes among these communities.

On October 28, the Karnataka Cabinet led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah indicated its resolve to implement internal reservations within the SC quota in the state, which was part of the Congress’s promises made in manifesto for the May 2023 Assembly elections. The Siddaramaiah government constituted a one-member Commission to suggest steps to implement the SC sub-quota process, till which time it has put on hold all fresh notifications for the government jobs.

In Telangana, CM A Revanth Reddy hailed the apex court ruling, asserting that the state would be the first to implement it. He said this on the day the judgment was pronounced.

Last month, the Revanth Reddy government set up a one-member Commission to examine SC sub-classification after a Cabinet Sub-committee headed by N Uttam Kumar Reddy suggested that the issue would need further study.

However, according to sources in the Karnataka and the Telangana governments, several MLAs and MPs, mostly from the Congress, belonging to the dominant sub-castes among Dalits have raised objections in both the states to the move to sub-categorise the SCs.

“In Karnataka, leaders of Bhovi and Holeya castes have raised concerns about the implementation of internal SC reservations without ‘proper scientific study’. The government then constituted a Commission to recommend what percentage of reservation should go to which SC community,” a senior Karnataka Congress leader said.

This has been done even though the Justice A J Sadashiva Commission had already studied the need for equitable distribution of reservations among the SCs and the STs back in 2012. “We do not want to hurry the implementation of the SC internal reservations because it should work in the interest of everyone,” the Congress leader said.

Some castes among the SCs and the STs have traditionally been reaping the benefits of reservation, the Sadashiva Commission had noted, adding only the internal reservations among Dalits and tribals could help change the composition of government staff and educational institutions.

The Congress government’s bid to appoint the Commission also came despite the existence of the unpublished report of a caste survey called the Socio-economic and Educational Survey conducted by the previous Siddaramaiah government. The move has been seen as an attempt to stall the internal quota demand on the ground of lack of data.

On his part, Siddaramaiah denied that his government was trying to stall the implementation of sub-quotas for the SCs.

“The government has decided to set up the Commission to implement internal reservations in an adequate, scientific and non-controversial manner and without any intent of delaying a policy decision… The government will take everyone into confidence without any compromise in the matter of social justice,” the CM said. “There are 101 sub-castes in the SCs and the government has decided to take all of them into confidence and scientifically implement internal reservation,” he added.

In Telangana, the MLAs and MPs from the Mala and the Lambada communities have expressed concerns over the implementation of internal reservations for the SCs / STs. “Several MLAs and MPs belonging to dominant Dalit and tribal sub-castes met Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to request for a study into the sub-caste reservation demand. So, a Commission has been set up for it,” a Congress legislator said. In Telangana, Malas and Lambadas are among the dominant SC and ST sub-castes, respectively.

In both the states, implementing quotas within quota for the SCs is a tough task for the Congress because the grand old party has traditionally got the support of dominant Dalit sub-castes.

In Telangana, the Madiga Reservation Poratta Samithi (MRPS), led by Mandakrishna Madiga, rallied behind the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. “This was only because the BJP said they will support sub-caste reservation,” an MRPS leader said.

In Karnataka, another Madiga leader said that his community had supported the Congress in the 2023 Assembly polls because Siddaramaiah “promised SC sub-caste reservation”. “If he (CM) walks back on his promise, he will face a political debacle like he did in 2018,” the Madiga leader said. Madigas are among the more backward SC groups.

On the other hand, in Haryana, the BJP, which stormed to power last month for a record third term, decided to go ahead with the SC sub-categorisation for reservation in the very first Cabinet meeting held by CM Nayab Singh Saini.

In the Haryana Assembly polls, the BJP was said to have benefited from the support of the more backward Dalit groups. The Saini government’s move could help deepen its outreach to such SC communities such as Valmikis, Bazigars, Sansis, Dehas, Dhanaks and Saperas, among others.