Bengaluru: The Congress-led government in Karnataka is considering approaching the Supreme Court after Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot sent the Muslim Quota Bill to the President, seeking her assent. The Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which proposes a 4% reservation for Muslims in government civic contracts, has been reserved for the President’s approval by the Governor, who cited potential constitutional hurdles.
The development has sparked intense political debate. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s Legal Advisor and MLA A. S. Ponnanna expressed concern, criticizing the Governor’s actions. “This is not in respect of one bill; the honourable Governor of Karnataka has been acting very similarly to the Governors of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and West Bengal,” said Ponnanna. He further remarked, “Wherever there is a non-BJP government, the BJP is working through the Governor’s office. This is a very bad precedent, and even after the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Tamil Nadu case, our Governor’s behaviour is unacceptable. We are being constrained to move to the Supreme Court.”
Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil echoed similar sentiments, stating, “The Supreme Court has set a deadline; even the President of India should decide in three months. We will wait and see.”
Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad also voiced strong opposition to the move, calling it a “political conspiracy”. According to Arshad, “The Governor works like an agent of the BJP.” He explained that under the Indian Constitution, reservation should not be granted based on religion, but rather on the socio-economic status of individuals, which is why the Backward Classes Commission created Category 2A, including Muslims in the category.
Earlier, in his communication to the state government, the Governor had raised concerns that the Constitution of India prohibits reservation based on religion, citing violations of Articles 14 (equality), 15 (non-discrimination), and 16 (equal opportunity in public employment). The Governor also referenced similar views expressed by the Supreme Court on the matter.
This controversy comes in the wake of statements from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who accused the Congress government in Karnataka of granting religious-based reservations in tenders. Modi contended that the move “snatched” the rights of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), calling such provisions “unconstitutional” and a “betrayal of B. R. Ambedkar’s ideals”, the architect of the Indian Constitution.
