The Karnataka government has announced a 4% reservation for Muslims in civil contracts under the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act, 1999. The plan was revealed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, while presenting the Rs. 4.09 lakh crore state budget in Bengaluru on March 7.
Under the new policy, contractors from Category 2B—Muslims—will be eligible for government contracts valued below Rs. 2 crore. The reservation also extends to Muslim suppliers in the procurement of goods and services by various government departments.
Previously, the KTPP Act reserved government procurement quotas for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Category-I, and Category-IIA communities. The new 4% Muslim quota will expand overall contract reservations to 47%, with the financial limit doubling from Rs. 1 crore to Rs. 2 crore.
BJP Allege ‘Appeasement’
The move has received criticism from the Bharitya Janata Party. It alleged the budget to be “Halal Budget” and “Pakistan Budget.”
In a social media post featuring Siddaramaiah in a skull cap, the BJP wrote: “Scam CM @siddaramaiah in Karnataka presents a Halal Budget — appeasement at its peak!”
BJP leaders alleged that the budget disproportionately favored the Muslim community while ignoring critical sectors like agriculture, skill development, and infrastructure.
“This budget is not about development. It’s a betrayal of Karnataka’s future,” said BJP state president Vijayendra Yediyurappa. He claimed that farmers were burdened with debt, and SC/ST hostels faced funding issues while Congress pursued “appeasement politics.”
Siddaramaiah Reacts to Allegations
Responding to the BJP’s allegations, Siddaramaiah dismissed the criticism as divisive and misleading. He argued that allocations for minority welfare extended beyond the Muslim community.
“Minorities don’t just mean Muslims,” Siddaramaiah said. “They include Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, and Christians.” He pointed out that ₹250 crore had been earmarked for Christian welfare.
Further, reacting to the charges levelled by the BJP that the Congress is taking away the reservation of SCs-STs and giving it to the Muslims in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah claimed that the 4 percent quota which existed earlier for the Muslims has been continued in the southern state.
While speaking to reporters in Bidar, CM Siddaramaiah said that as per the report of the Chinnappa Reddy Commission, the 4 percent reservation for the Muslim community was implemented in 1994. It was withdrawn during the tenure of the previous BJP government headed by then CM Basavaraj Bommai.
During that time, the BJP government had given an undertaking that the 4 percent reservation would be continued and that reservation is continuing in the present day as well, the CM stated.
On the criticism by the BJP that the Congress is trying to snatch property from the people and redistribute it, CM Siddaramaiah without answering asked has Prime Minister Narendra Modi fulfilled all his assurances. Was he able to deposit Rs 15 lakh in everyone’s bank account? Create 2 crore jobs? Has the promise of doubling the income of farmers been fulfilled? Has he been able to bring down inflation?
Siddaramaiah also defended the budget’s broader economic strategy. He said government spending had boosted economic activity by improving purchasing power.
“When you give money to the people, it spurs economic growth,” he explained. “The BJP accused us of driving Karnataka into bankruptcy with these schemes. Has that happened? Instead, BJP is now copying our model in Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.”
The state budget for 2025-26 is valued at ₹4.09 lakh crore, marking a ₹38,166 crore increase from the previous year.
