‘Unable to debate or reason’: Minister Priyank Kharge defends reservation for minority contractors

BENGALURU: Minister for Electronics, IT/BT, and Rural Development & Panchayat Raj, Priyank Kharge, has defended the state government’s move to extend reservations in civil work contracts, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of spreading misinformation.

In a post on social media platform X, Kharge stated that the reservations are backed by constitutional provisions under Article 15(4) and 16(4), which empower the government to provide affirmative action for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs).

He cited multiple judicial rulings and commissions that have upheld the classification of Muslims as a Backward Class in Karnataka. “Unable to debate or reason, BJP is as usual misleading the nation on reservation to contractors in Karnataka. Here are the facts,” Kharge wrote, detailing the legal history behind the inclusion of Muslims in the Backward Communities Group since the Havanoor Commission’s 1977 report.

Unable to debate or reason, BJP is as usual misleading the nation on reservation to contractors in Karnataka.

Here are the facts:

Article 15(4) & 16(4) of the Constitution of India empowers providing reservation to Socially and Educationally Backward.

In 1977, the Havanoor…

— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) March 27, 2025

Kharge referenced the Karnataka High Court’s ruling in Writ Petition No. 4371/77 (Somashekarappa vs. Government of Karnataka), which upheld the classification of Muslims as a Backward Class. He explained that the inclusion was first recognized in the 1977 Havanoor Commission report and later reaffirmed by the Venkatswamy Commission, Justice O. Chinnappa Reddy Commission, and Ravi Varma Kumar Commission. These commissions, he said, established that Muslims were socially, educationally, and economically backward, justifying their inclusion in the Backward Communities Group.

Citing historical decisions, Kharge noted that a policy providing 24 percent reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in civil work contracts up to Rs50 lakh was implemented in 2017. The Karnataka High Court upheld this policy in December 2019. In June 2024, the government extended the scheme to include OBC contractors, allocating four percent for Category I (Most Backward) and fifteen percent for Category IIA (Relatively Most Backward).

“In March 2025, the cap for reservation in civil works contracts was raised across the board to Rs2 crore, which is applicable to contractors as follows: SCs/STs: 24%, Category I: 4%, Category IIA: 15%, and Category IIB: 4%,” Kharge wrote.

Meanwhile, Kharge also responded to BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal’s recent statements, calling it an internal matter of the party but acknowledging Yatnal’s claims about the price he is paying for speaking against corruption and dynasty politics.

“This is an internal matter of BJP, but he says he is paying the price for speaking against corruption and dynasty politics… I think he is now a free radical,” Kharge said.

Yatnal, in his tweet, was vocal in his criticism of the BJP leadership, alleging “internal politics and the failure of the leadership to assess defeats in key regions like Kalburgi, Raichur, Bellary, and Chikkodi.”

Yatnal wrote, “Veteran leaders and selfless workers built the party without financial backing, yet their efforts are now overshadowed by “adjustment politics.” Eshwarappa, a staunch Hindutva advocate, was sidelined for opposing nepotism, while others have benefited from political favoritism. The party has historically led protests against corruption and discrimination, but its leadership now appears disconnected from ground realities”.

On the ongoing honeytrap case, Kharge emphasized the need for a thorough investigation. “The state Home Minister (G Parameshwara) and (Cooperation Minister) K N Rajanna have filed the complaint. The complaint that has been filed should be investigated and whatever needs to be done should be done and justice has to be served”, he stated. (ANI)