Dk shivakumar on tender quota row: After the BJP accused of doing politics of appeasement on the Congress, Karnataka Deputy CM Deputy CM DK Shivkumar clearly stated on Saturday (March 15, 2025) that the state government has not only given four percent reservation in the tender to the Muslim community but has not given it to all minority communities.
Deputy CM Shivkumar said that Kota is not only for a particular community but for minorities in general. He said, “Who said that 4 percent reservation is only for Muslims? The government has decided to give it to minorities and backward communities. The minorities include Christians, Jains, Parsis and Sikhs,” Deputy CM also said that the state government has also amended to provide contract reservation for scheduled castes and tribes.
Standing political uproar
The Karnataka government has recently amended the Karnataka Public Procurement of Transparency (KTPP) Act and the decision to approve 4 percent reservation in government tenders has created political uproar. The BJP accused the Congress of doing politics of appeasement. However, DK Shivkumar clarified that the approval of the Karnataka government was given for projects below only Rs 2 crore and large projects cannot be allocated under this quota. Shivkumar further clarified, “We are not snatching anyone’s rights, we are also ensuring livelihood for others.” While responding to the BJP’s allegations, he said, “They keep remembering us, this makes us stronger.”
BJP protested after the decision of Karnataka government
According to a PTI report, 4 percent reservation was added to the 2B category of backward castes, especially reserved for Muslims in the recent amendment in the KTPP Act. This is in addition to the current categories of castes falling under Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Category-1 and Category-2A for public building contracts in government departments, corporations and agencies. The amendment has also increased the contract price limit from Rs 1 crore to Rs 2 crore. Regarding this, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad had said that the BJP is against it and the party will continue to oppose it.
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