Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Mar 18: The Karnataka government on Tuesday, March 18 tabled the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (Amendment) Bill in the Assembly, seeking to provide a 4% quota for Muslims in government tenders.
Minister for law and parliamentary affairs H K Patil introduced the Bill, which the Congress government claims is aimed at addressing unemployment. The proposed amendment also seeks to increase the reservation limit for government construction projects from Rs 1 crore to Rs 2 crore for contractors belonging to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
The Bill makes provisions for reservations in government contracts for various local bodies, including the Bayalu Seeme Area Development Board, Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj institutions, urban development authorities, and municipal councils.
The government has stated that the Bill is part of its 2025-26 budget proposal, aiming to increase participation from individuals belonging to Category 2B of the Backward Classes, under which Muslims are classified. The reservation for government construction projects will not exceed 4% of the total projects.
Additionally, the Bill proposes a reservation of up to Rs 1 crore for the procurement of goods and services for SCs, STs, and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). The quota allocations include 17.15% for SCs, 6.95% for STs, 15% for Category 2A, and 4% for Category 2B (Muslims).
The amendment also includes a provision that if tenders are not received from individuals of the specified communities, the procurement process will be opened to other eligible bidders.
Speaking to the media after introducing the Bill, minister H K Patil said the Congress government was prepared to justify the provision for Muslim quota in the Assembly. "The BJP is engaging in politics. The Congress wants Karnataka to be an inclusive state for all communities. There is no appeasement, nor is there rejection of any community," he stated.
Chief minister Siddaramaiah had announced the 4% quota for Muslims in the state budget. However, the BJP has opposed the move and announced plans to challenge it in the Supreme Court. The party has claimed that the decision could divide the country and poses a threat to national unity.
BJP leader and former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai alleged that under the guise of providing reservations in contracts for backward classes, the government has granted a 4% quota to Category 2B, which is "100% Muslim." He said the matter was already before the Supreme Court.
The introduction of the Bill caught the opposition off guard. The Assembly will take up discussions before final consent is given. The BJP has vowed to block the implementation of the Muslim quota.