The benefits will be extended to all notified minorities including Christians, Jains, and Buddhists. Defending the Cabinet’s decision, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the state had a significant urban poor population, including minorities, who were willing to move into unoccupied housing units.
Published Jun 19, 2025 | 7:50 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 19, 2025 | 7:50 PM
BJP State President BY Vijayendra called the move unconstitutional and accused the ruling Congress government of blatant vote-bank politics.
Synopsis: The Karnataka Cabinet has increased the housing quota for minority communities from 10 to 15 percent, citing the need to address homelessness among disadvantaged groups and unoccupied housing in urban areas. The benefits will be extended to all notified minorities including Christians, Jains, and Buddhists.
In a move that has riled the opposition, the Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday, 19 June decided to increase the reservation for minority communities in housing schemes from 10 percent to 15 percent.
Speaking to the media after the Cabinet meeting, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil said, “We are very particular that all should get housing. Housing for all will to be implemented. Right now, we see that the houseless are more among the downtrodden and minorities. We have increased the housing reservation from 10 percent to 15 percent, looking at the ground realities.”
Patil clarified that the enhanced reservation would apply to all notified minority communities, including Christians, Jains, and Buddhists and reflected the government’s broader commitment to housing for the poor across all communities.
“We are particular that those who are houseless, from whichever community they belong, all should get. ‘Housing for all’ is our slogan,” he said.
Defending the Cabinet’s decision, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the state had a significant urban poor population, including minorities, who were willing to move into unoccupied housing units.
“In urban areas, a lot of minorities are present. Housing has been vacant, and we couldn’t allocate it to others. That’s why they requested 10–15 percent… Even in Bengaluru, many houses remain vacant. Whom to give? That is a big problem,” he said.
“We’ve constructed houses, but no one has occupied them. Try in Mandya, on the left side, there are more than 7–9 towers. Nobody has gone there. At least minorities are ready to go and occupy those buildings.”
Reacting sharply, BJP State President BY Vijayendra called the move unconstitutional and accused the ruling Congress government of blatant vote-bank politics.
“Reservation on the basis of religion is unconstitutional!” he wrote in a post on X. “The Congress in Karnataka has converted welfare into a marketplace for vote-bank politics.”
Citing the recent 4 percent quota in government contracts and now the 15 percent quota in housing, he asked, “Where does this appeasement end?”
“This is a dangerous attempt to institutionalise communal vote-bank politics. It not only robs SCs, STs, and OBCs of their rightful opportunities, but also sends a disturbing message that merit, backwardness, and constitutional principles are secondary to religious appeasement,” he said.
“Congress should pick up the Constitution they love to wave at public meetings. Had they read it even once, they would know that reservations are based on social and educational backwardness, and not handed out based on ‘who votes for me.’ Under the guise of welfare, this government is brazenly pushing religion-based reservation, striking at the very foundation of Dr BR Ambedkar’s Constitution and dragging his vision through the dirt of appeasement politics.”
He continued:
“The Congress government’s reckless appeasement will not survive judicial scrutiny, nor escape the judgment of history. Karnataka deserves governance, not divisive experiments with the Constitution.”
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
