Karnataka Budget Row: BJP Calls It ‘Sarkari Jihad,’ Congress Hits Back

The ruling Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka are locked in a war of words, with the latter coining phrases such as "halal budget'' and "sarkari jihad'' to criticise Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's slew of policies aimed at minorities in his record 16th budget for 2025-2026.But what has particularly enraged the BJP is the Karnataka government's decision to amend the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (KTPP) Act. This amendment reserves 4 percent of government contracts in civil works valued up to Rs 2 crore and good/services contracts up to Rs 1 crore for Muslims. The Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (Amendment) Bill 2025 was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on 18 March to introduce the 4 percent reservation. The BJP has labelled this move "an unconstitutional misadventure and appeasement politics.''Fact-Check: Misleading Communal Claims About Karnataka’s State Budget ViralSlamming the BJP for its opposition to the Bill, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge called out the party’s hypocrisy, referring to its Ramzan outreach programme titled 'Saughat-e-Modi' (Gift from Modi), which aims to distribute 32 lakh Ramzan kits.If Modi distributes Ramzan kits, it's not appeasement politics, but when the Congress does, we are dubbed as anti-nationals, accused of building Pakistan and Afghanistan in India. Why this doublespeak? Whenever the BJP is losing ground and popularity, they bring out the Muslim angle to sustain their livelihood.Rural Development Minister Priyank KhargeHe explained that of the Rs 4.09 lakh crore budget presented by Siddaramaiah, only Rs 4,000 crore has been earmarked for the minorities, which include Jains, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs and Muslims.In the Rs 4,000 crore allocation, a sum of Rs 500 crore was spent on salaries. He pointed out that Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat—all BJP-ruled states—also allocate funds for minorities. “If our budget is a ‘halal budget,’ what should we call theirs?” he asked.Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha on 19 March, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya demanded that the Karnataka government roll back the 4 percent reservation for minorities, claiming it "incentivises religious conversion into Islam" and that "a secular government cannot do this."He further alleged that the policy would allow banned organisations like the Popular Front of India and Karnataka Forum for Dignity to secure government contracts.The Congress, however, defended the KTPP amendment, arguing that reservations in public contracts already exist for oppressed and marginalised classes, and the 4 percent allocation for minorities is merely an extension of that principle.This reservation policy is about creating economic opportunities for all backward classes cutting across religious lines, ensuring equity, diversity, and inclusion in public procurement and contracting. By focusing solely on the Muslim community, the BJP is attempting to communalise a welfare measure designed to uplift hundreds of castes and sub-castes, and this narrative conveniently ignores the rightful claims of SCs, STs, OBCs, and other marginalised communities who will benefit equally.''Ramesh Babu, Chairman, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee's media and communication wing. Providing a breakdown of the existing reservations, Babu told The Quint that Scheduled Castes (SC) receive 17.15 percent, Scheduled Tribes (ST) 6.95 percent, Category-I (covering 95 communities such as Kurmi, Bestha, Woddar, Talawara, Uppara, Golla, etc) 4 percent, and Category-2A (covering 102 OBC groups such as Kuruba, Idiga, Billava, Devadiga, Kumbara, Buddhists, etc) 15 percent. Muslims, who come under Category-2B, will now receive 4 percent.BJP leaders, however, remain unconvinced. Opposition leader in the Karnataka Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, argued that the minorities already benefit under the OBC category, making the additional 4 percent quota a form of “religion-based reservation” that is unconstitutional. “We are confident that Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot will not give assent to this Bill and will checkmate the Congress government’s plans,” he said.BJP MP Lahar Singh Siroya, who has been hosting "harmony dinners" since 2023, an initiative launched by him to foster unity and harmony across all sections of the society, said the reservation will only lead to "polarisation of votes."UP Polls: After Yogi's 'Abba Jaan', Tejaswi Surya Makes 'Bhai Jaan' Jibe at SPThe BJP‘s attack is not just on the 4 percent reservation, but on the entire allocation earmarked for the minorities in this year's budget, which the party has dubbed as a "halal budget.''The BJP listed out the schemes announced in the budget including Rs 50,000 assistance for Muslim simple marriages, Rs 150 crore for infrastructure development of Waqf properties and graveyards, Rs 50 lakh for Muslim cultural programs, a new IT college to be set up in Muslim-dominated areas, 50 percent fee concession for Muslim students under KEA, residential PU college for Muslim girls in Ullal town, increase in national and foreign scholarships for Muslim students, expansion of Bengaluru’s Haj Bhavan with additional buildings and self-defense training for Muslim girl students under the hashtag halal budget. "What about allocation for the Dalits and OBCs?" the party asked in the post.Reacting to the BJP's criticism, Siddaramaiah explained that the allocation for the minorities was on the higher side this time as the literacy rate among them is low. "What moral right does the BJP have to call the budget a halal or Pakistan budget?" he asked, alleging that it showed their "rotten mindset."Siddaramaiah said the budget allocation was based on the ratio of population. The Scheduled Castes and Tribes constituted 24 percent of the total population and therefore the allocation for them was Rs 42,000 crore, while for the other backward classes it was Rs 4,300 crore and the minorities Rs 4,500 crore, he added.The issue of providing reservations to the Muslims in Karnataka, who constitute nearly 12 percent of the total population, has long been a contentious issue.In 1994, former Congress Chief Minister M Veerappa Moily provided 4 percent reservation to the Muslims in government jobs and education by including them in Category-2B within the reservation provided for the OBCs. His successor, HD Deve Gowda continued, the policy in 1995. However, ahead of the Assembly elections in 2023, then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai scrapped the 4 percent reservation by distributing the same to the Lingayats and the Vokkaligas and placed the Muslims under the 10 percent quota reserved for the economically weaker sections. The move was challenged in the court, where it remains pending. After the BJP came to power in Karnataka in 2008, the allocation for the minorities in the state budgets has been on the decline. According to information tabled by then minority welfare minister Shrimant Patil in the Legislative Assembly on 8 October, 2020, BS Yediyurappa, as CM, had dropped five schemes in the 2020-2021 budget and no allocation was made for them. The allocation for minority welfare came down from Rs 1,418.98 crore in 2019-20 to Rs 950 crore.The BJP is planning to legally challenge the proposed legislation on 4 percent reservation for the Muslims. But Congress leaders remain defiant, accusing the opposition of communalising an economic welfare measure. "Coining slogans like ‘sarkari jihad’ will not help the BJP,” said Ramesh Babu. “They have always sought votes through communal rhetoric, but this time, their strategy won’t work.”(Naheed Ataulla is a senior political journalist based in Bengaluru. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)

BECOME A MEMBER

‘Sarkari Jihad’ or Welfare? BJP, Congress Clash Over Karnataka’s Muslim Quota

The issue of reservations for Muslims in Karnataka, has long been a contentious one, writes Naheed Ataulla.

Read Latest News and Breaking News at The Quint, browse for more from opinion

Topics: Tejasvi Surya BJP Congress