Explained | Why and how was the 4% reservation for Muslims under the OBC category scrapped in Karnataka? 

why the ruling BJP government in Karnataka scrapped 4% reservation to OBC muslims and accorded internal reservation for scheduled castes

The story so far: At the Cabinet meeting in Karnataka on Friday, the BJP government did away with the nearly three-decade-old 4% reservation for Muslims in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category and distributed it equally among the Veerashaiva-Lingayats and Vokkaligas, two dominant land-owning communities in the State, at 2% each. Quick on its heels, the government also accorded internal reservation for 101 Scheduled Castes (SC). Both these decisions have come under intense political debate.

The Cabinet decided to exclude Muslims from the OBC category and scrapped the 4% reservation given to them under Category 2B.

This has been divided equally among Vokkaligas and Veerashaiva-Lingayats for whom new categories of 2C and 2D have been created respectively. Following the change, the reservation quantum for Vokkaligas and others in the group went up from 4% to 6% and for Veerashaiva-Lingayats and others in the group, from 5% to 7%.

Earlier, the two communities were under 3A and 3B respectively, which stand scrapped.

The Cabinet also recommended internal reservation among the 101 SCs, a long pending demand of the SC (left) faction to the Union Government. Of the 17% reservation given to SCs in Karnataka, it has sliced up 6% to SC (left), 5.5% to SC (right), 4.5 % to SC (touchable) and 1% to SC (others).

While the basis for internal reservation was the recommendation of the A. J. Sadashiva Commission report of 2012 when reservation to SCs was pegged at 15%, the Government has adjusted the share, based on a Cabinet sub-committee report, as per the new reservation quota that has been hiked to 17%.

The BJP, which does not count Muslims among its voter base, has scrapped the reservation for Muslims, arguing that backward classes reservation is not based on religion.