CM rejects Panchamasali 2A quota demand as ‘unconstitutional’

Belagavi: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday strongly rejected the Panchamasali community’s demand for inclusion in the 2A category of the reservation matrix for the backward classes, terming it as “unconstitutional“.
The statement came amid a nationwide communal stir that intensified after a violent protest at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi that resulted in several injuries in a police attack.
During the Zero Hour proceedings, Siddaramaiah responded to the opposition’s allegations and claimed that the community’s demand was not a request but a challenge to the Constitution. “The community’s demand for inclusion in the 2A category of the OBC reservation matrix is an unconstitutional demand,” he said.
Siddaramaiah also criticized the timing of the protest, pointing out that the reservation matrix was finalized in 1992 and questioned why the community had not raised its concerns earlier. “Why didn’t the community protest back then? It was only in 2022-23 that the community started protesting, especially after senior BJP functionary Murugesh Nirani failed to get a cabinet berth in BS Yediyurappa’s cabinet,” he added, targeting the BJP’s support of the agitation.
The remark sparked anger among BJP leaders, with many alleging that the Panchamasali community’s demand for reservations has been going on since the 1990s. However, Siddaramaiah stuck to his criticism and said, “The previous BJP government under Basavaraj Bommai created 2C and 2D categories in the reservation matrix and elevated Vokkaligas to 2C and Lingayats to 2D. They have also withdrawn the 4% reservation for Muslims and redistributed it equally between the Vokkaligas and Lingayats.
Regarding the legal challenges to the decision, Siddaramaiah pointed out that the BJP’s measures were challenged in court and the government had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that it would not change the 1992 reservation matrix. “When this was challenged in the Supreme Court, the government filed an affidavit stating that this would not affect the existing reservation,” Siddaramaiah added, establishing the constitutional basis for the BJP to create new categories of reservation Ask.
BJP members, led by Sabanna Talavar, were quick to criticize Siddaramaiah’s comments, stressing that India’s reservation system is based on caste and not religion, as Dr. BR Ambedkar has stated. Sabanna also stated that the 4 percent reservation for Muslims was unconstitutional. “The reservation demand of the Panchamasali community must be granted,” Sabanna said, leading to a verbal clash.
The meeting also witnessed a heated exchange between ruling and opposition party members when Congress MP Vijayanand Kashappanavar, a leader of the Panchamasali Lingayat community, accused the BJP of misleading both the community and its spiritual leader. “The protest is sponsored and instigated by the BJP,” he alleged, further alleging that RSS members were involved in stone-pelting during the protests.
This led to a tense verbal spat between BJP and Congressmen, with the BJP demanding that references to the RSS be removed from the record.
Amid the chaos, Speaker UT Khader adjourned the House session after the BJP objected to the handling of the debate.
BJP members later stormed the speaker hall, voicing strong objections to Khader’s conduct of the proceedings and demanding that their voices be heard before any further statements are made by the Congress.