Chief Minister Siddaramaiah taking part in the Valmiki Jayanti celebrations in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Tuesday that the reservation percentage for Scheduled Tribes should be at least doubled from the present 7% to include the Kuruba community in the ST list in Karnataka.
He said it was the BJP government led by Basavaraj Bommai that recommended inclusion of the Kurubas in the ST list and not the Congress government led by him.
Speaking at the Valmiki Jayanti celebrations here, Mr. Siddaramaiah, who belongs to the Kuruba community, said the reservation for STs was higher in Odisha, Mizoram, and Nagaland in accordance with their population.
The NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not included Kurubas in the ST list. “Even now there is no confidence that they will do it. But if they do it, let it be as per the population. It should be increased to 14% or 20%,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said.
“We will not put our hands on your plate (STs). I was not the person who fought for providing ST tag to Kurubas. It was former Minister K.S. Eshwarappa who recommended it during the Bommai government,” the Chief Minister clarified.
He made his response after Congress leader and former MP V.S. Ugrappa, who belonged to the Valmiki community, requested that Kurubas should only be added to the ST list if there was a corresponding increase in the quota for STs as per their population size.
Mr. Siddaramaiah said representation for STs in the State Cabinet would be given during the next reshuffle.
Mr. Ugrappa said as per Article 341 of the Constitution, an anthropological study is to be conducted to include any community in the SC (ST) list. Currently, STs have a 7% quota, and if Kurubas are to be included, then the quota should be doubled (14%). “We are fine to sit together and eat, but you should not put your hands on our (Valmiki/ Nayaka community) plates. Bring your own plates. We are fine to eat together,” Mr. Ugrappa said.
Mr. Ugrappa noted that Kurubas and Nayakas had fought together for reservation during the 1980s during the Ramakrishna Hegde-led Janata government. Hegde recommended both Kurubas and Nayakas for the ST list, but it was rejected.
In 1991, when Chandra Shekhar was the Prime Minister, Nayakas were added to the ST list, and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda played a crucial role, Mr. Ugrappa said.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister presented Maharshi Valmiki awards for 2025. The winners are: Nagaraju Ganada Hunase (Bengaluru, media); P. Thippeswamy (Bengaluru, theatre); J.K. Muthamma (Mysuru division, organisation); Mulasidda Lakshmana Nayakodi (Belagavi division, social service), and K. Uchchangappa (Kalaburagi, social work).
Published – October 07, 2025 06:57 pm IST
