By The Sampadak Express
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Cabinet has approved a 5% hike in the minority quota for government housing schemes, raising it from 10% to 15%. The decision, made during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, will apply to all housing initiatives run by the state’s Housing Department across urban and rural areas.
This comes just weeks after the government passed a bill to reserve 4% of civil contracts for Muslims a move that drew sharp criticism from the BJP and prompted a formal challenge.
Reacting strongly, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, BJP state president BY Vijayendra, and Opposition leader R Ashoka accused the Congress government of pursuing “appeasement politics.” Joshi claimed the increased minority quota would reduce the share of houses available for SC/ST and OBC beneficiaries, and warned that the BJP would soon decide on a course of protest.“
The Constitution does not allow religion-based reservation. Yet, this government continues to bypass it,” said Vijayendra, calling the decision “blatantly unconstitutional.”
In response, the state government defended its move, stating that the hike was in line with directions from the Union Government, which flagged a shortfall in housing for minority communities. “This decision is aimed at addressing homelessness among minorities and ensuring social justice,” read an official statement from the Chief Minister’s Office.
Political analysts view the announcement as an attempt to retain Muslim support amid growing unrest within the community. In recent weeks, several Muslim leaders in Dakshina Kannada district resigned from the Congress over the government’s failure to protect community members during episodes of communal violence.
In March, the state legislature passed a controversial bill allocating a 4% quota in civil contracts to Muslims. However, the Bill is now awaiting Presidential assent after Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot withheld approval following BJP’s objections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also weighed in, labelling the Bill “unconstitutional” and accusing the Congress of taking away the rights of SC, ST, and OBC communities to benefit one religious group.
Party sources say Siddaramaiah is under mounting pressure from Muslim MLAs, who argue that the community deserves better representation and recognition for its role in Congress’s sweeping victory in the 2023 Assembly polls. Currently, only two Muslim ministers hold cabinet positions, both with relatively minor portfolios. The recent electoral win of Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan in Shiggaon once held by former CM Basavaraj Bommai has further emboldened demands for greater community inclusion.
With political tensions mounting, the BJP has signalled state-wide protests in the coming days, making the quota hike a new flashpoint in Karnataka’s volatile political landscape.
