Just when we thought that Patidar agitations in Gujarat or Jat protests in Haryana had subsided, Karnataka government has potentially created a fertile ground for yet another social unrest in the country. Government has put out the proposed amendments to the Karnataka Industrial Employment (Standing orders) Rules, 1961, for public suggestions. These amendments call for 100% reservations for Kannadigas in private industries which seek benefits under the government industrial policy. Kannadigas as defined by the labour department of Karnataka is any person born in the state of Karnataka or who has lived in Karnataka for not less than 15 years and knows to read, write, speak and understand Kannada. This effectively implies reservations based on region, locality and language, a direct violation of article 19(1).
In all possibility, these proposed amendments will not stand the legal scrutiny. However, this move by the Karnataka government has raised an important question about the misuse of the constitutional provision of reservation to serve narrow minded political agenda. The 50% cap set by the Hon’ble Supreme Court has substantially checked the misuse of this provision in government jobs and educational institutions. Reservations in private sector is almost like arm-twisting a private entity to serve your political interests. At a time when we are emerging as industry-friendly free market economy, such a move will send down deep shivers to the private sector of our country.
As the Fadnavis government is battling it out for Maratha reservations in Maharashtra, such a move by Karnataka government will further embolden the disgruntled groups in different parts of the country. Reservation as a concept needs a serious re-evaluation. What was conceived as an enabling provision to fight historical injustice has now been converted into a political instrument. In this political fight for reservations, the actual purpose of having reservations is lost somewhere. Providing reservations is akin to providing freebies and soaps which ultimately compromise with meritocracy. Historical injustice cannot be undone by counter-injustice.
This ill-thought move of 100% reservations for Kannadigas by the Siddaramaiah Government is yet another attempt to shy away from its failure of job creation and other administrative failures.
Maratha and Muslim reservations by Congress government in 2014 was also a last-minute face saver bid for itself, however the electorate in India is smarter now than what Karnataka CM might want them to be. The only positive which might emerge from this move is the scope for a nationwide debate on the entire concept of reservations. Otherwise this move will exacerbate the already prevailing ‘local vs outside’ divide within our country.