Bengaluru: With the State Government announcing reservation hike for SC and ST communities (2 percent hike for SCs and 4 percent hike for STs), Opposition leader and former Chief Minister Siddharamaiah said that the hike can become functional only if it is included in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution.

Speaking to press persons here on Saturday, Siddharamaiah said that the JD(S)-Congress coalition Government had constituted Justice Nagmohan Das Commission to recommend reservation hike in education and jobs to SC/ST communities based on the strength of their population, following which the Commission submitted its report in 2020, when the BJP Government was in power.

Wondering why the BJP Government had been silent on the Nagmohan Das Commission report for three years, Siddharamaiah asserted that it was the Congress which suggested the Government during the all-party meeting called by the Government, to hike reservation for SC Communities by 2 percent (from 15 to 17 percent) and 4 percent for ST Communities (from 3 percent to 7 percent).

Reiterating that the reservation hike cannot come into force unless it is included /Notified in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution, Siddharamaiah observed that the Government should have followed the EWS reservation quota narrative in the enforcement of reservation hike for SC/ST communities.

When asked whether 13 was a lucky number for him, in the backdrop of the Election Commission announcing May 13 as the date of counting of votes, Siddharamaiah said that he took office as the Chief Minister of Karnataka on May 13, 2013 after the counting of votes had taken place on May 5 then. “I does not believe in such things. It is true that I took over as the Chief Minister on May 13, 2013, but then I had not aspired for the date. The Election Commission has scheduled the counting of votes on May 13, 2023. It may be just a matter of coincidence,” he maintained.