Karnataka government announces four per cent reservation for Muslims in public works contracts

Priya Verma "Journalist"March 8, 2025

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New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party claimed that this departure from Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution is concerning amid a dispute over the Karnataka government’s announcement of a 4% quota for Muslims in public works contracts.

“The Bharatiya Janata Party led the state government in Karnataka in 2023, which abolished a 4 percent reservation reserved for the Muslim community due to unconstitutionality,” BJP National Secretary Anil K. Antony said during a news conference. However, the quota was reinstated in the budget upon the return of the Congress administration, with 4% of all government contracts under Rs two crore in all important departments.

“This departure from the Constitution, which Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar hated, is reason for alarm. The state administration is urged by the Bharatiya Janata Party to undo these appeasement-driven actions,” Antony said.

While presenting the Karnataka government’s budget on Friday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated that 4% of public works contracts would henceforth be set aside for Muslims under a category known as Category II B.

Up to Rs 1 crore would be reserved for suppliers who belong to SC, ST, Category I, Category II A, and Category II B when purchasing products and services from different government agencies, businesses, and institutions; Category II B includes Muslims.

The ruling was fiercely challenged by BJP leader Amit Malviya, who said that it violated the rights of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) as outlined by Ambedkar in the Indian Constitution. Malviya maintained that making religiously motivated reservations is unlawful and that such policies need to be prohibited.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has been accused by the BJP of proposing a “Halal Budget,” calling it a type of appeasement at its height. The budget’s emphasis on measures to help the Muslim minority at the expense of other marginalized groups, including SCs, STs, and OBCs, drew criticism from the party.