Close on the heels of the Veerashaiva-Lingayats seeking a bigger share in the reservation, the other dominant Vokkaliga community has decided to launch its own agitation for a better quota.
Influential Vokkaliga pontiffs Nirmalanandanatha Swami of the Adichunchunagiri Mutt and Nanjavadhuta Swami of the Gurugunda Brahmeshwara Mutt chaired a meeting with community leaders to discuss this.
It was decided to seek enhancement of reservation for Vokkaligas, formation of a Vokkaliga Development Authority and greater quota access to the urban poor of the community, according to a statement from Nirmalanandanatha Swami.
“Not all 115 sub-sects of the Vokkaliga community have been included under OBC. As a result, many sub-sects are deprived of government benefits. All sub-sects must be included under OBC and we must campaign for this,” the statement said.
The pontiff also said that Vokkaligas in urban areas were in dire straits and they needed more reservation.
At present, some 20 sub-sects of Vokkaligas come under Category 3A with a 4 per cent reservation in Karnataka.
The meeting also discussed the possibility of hiking the quota on the lines of Tamil Nadu’s 69 per cent reservation. It was decided to tread on this subject with caution by weighing the pros and cons, the statement said.
To mount pressure on the government, two committees have been constituted - a Vokkaliga Reservation Campaign Committee and a Vokkaliga Development Authority Campaign Committee. Former High Court Justice Chandrashekaraiah, former IAS officer MK Shankarlinge Gowda, academic HC Boralingaiah among others were picked to give shape to the agitation and draft the guidelines for the proposed Authority.
Nanjavadhuta Swami warned of attempts to divide the community. “If some sub-sects walk out of the community, there’s a fear that they’ll become minorities. Community leaders should take measures to rectify such mistakes,” he said, according to the statement.
The Vokkaliga agitation is expected to add to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s woes as he is already faced with many other such demands.
The Veerashaiva-Lingayats are rallying to get included under the national OBC list whereas the Panchamasali sub-sect wants Category 2A reservation in the state.
Also, the backward Kuruba community wants ST status at the national level, whereas the ST Valmiki community has demanded hiking their quota from 3 per cent to 7.5 per cent.