Broken Promises: Karnataka’s Nomadic Communities Cry Foul Over Internal Reservation Policy
BENGALURU – Tensions are escalating across Karnataka as leaders of 49 nomadic and semi-nomadic communities accuse Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s government of “burying social justice” to appease politically dominant groups. Following a special cabinet meeting on April 24, 2026, the state’s decision regarding internal reservations for Scheduled Castes (SC) has sparked a fierce backlash from the most vulnerable sections of the Dalit spectrum.
A Legacy of “Broken Pledges”
The controversy centers on the government’s failure to classify these 49 nomadic groups under “Category A” with a dedicated 1% reservation, as previously promised. Instead, the cabinet has placed them in “Category C,” a move leaders claim effectively dilutes their representation by forcing them to compete with more socially and politically influential SC groups.
“The Chief Minister has turned his back on his own words,” stated Sheshappa Andolu, President of the Federation of Karnataka Untouchable Nomadic Communities. “On October 31, 2025, we were promised a separate development corporation and a special empowerment package. Today, we have neither. It is clear that the government has bowed to the lobby of dominant Scheduled Castes at the expense of those living on the fringes.”
From Delhi to Bengaluru: A History of Struggle
The path to this confrontation has been marked by a series of protests and high-level negotiations. In late 2025, after being told by the Chief Minister that he was “helpless” due to pressure from majority SC groups, the nomadic leaders took their fight to the national capital. A 15-day protest at Jantar Mantar and the AICC office in Delhi eventually led to an intervention by senior leaders and a verbal assurance from Social Welfare Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa.
However, the hope sparked by those meetings has vanished. Despite detailed discussions held in February 2026 with department secretaries regarding the 2026-27 budget, the community’s core demands—including a ₹500 crore special package and a 5% allocation of the Special Component Plan (SCP) funds—were conspicuously absent from the Chief Minister’s budget presentation on March 6.
Legal Battle and the “Pride Convention”
Rejecting the government’s claim that Category C offers 20% reservation as “a blatant falsehood,” the federation has announced a multi-pronged counter-offensive.
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Judicial Recourse: The federation will file a supplementary petition in the Karnataka High Court, challenging the upcoming government order based on the recent cabinet decision. They argue the current classification violates the spirit of the Justice Nagamohan Das Commission recommendations.
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Mass Mobilization: A massive “Swabhimani Samavesha” (Pride Convention) is scheduled for the last week of May at Freedom Park, Bengaluru, aimed at exposing what leaders call the “government’s betrayal” to the public.
“We requested a separate corporation for the empowerment of 49 untouchable nomadic communities,” said Manjunath Dayatkar, the federation’s General Secretary. “Instead, we have been silenced. Our struggle will continue on the streets and in the courts until we secure our rightful 1% share.”
As the state gears up for further unrest, the Siddaramaiah administration faces growing scrutiny over its “Ahimda” (minorities, backward classes, and Dalits) credentials, with nomadic leaders now openly questioning if social justice in Karnataka is reserved only for the powerful.
ಅಂತು ಇಂತು ಕುಂತಿ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ವನವಾಸ ತಪ್ಪಲಿಲ್ಲ ಎಂಬ ಅನುಭವ ವಾಣಿ ಲಾಗಾಯ್ತಿನಿಂದ ರೂಢಿಯಲ್ಲಿದೆ. ಅಲೆಮಾರಿ ಸಮುದಾಯಗಳ ಮೀಸಲಾತಿ ಅನುಷ್ಠಾನದ ತಂತ್ರ ನೋಡಿದಾಗ ಈ ಮಾತು ನೆನಪಾಯಿತು.ಧ್ವನಿಯಿಲ್ಲದ ಈ ಸಮುದಾಯಗಳ ಸರ್ವಾಂಗೀಣ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿಗೆ ಎಲ್ಲ ಸಮುದಾಯದವರು ಕಟಿಬದ್ಧರಾಗ ಬೇಕಾದ ಅನಿವಾರ್ಯತೆ ಇದೆ. ಆದರೆ ಆಳುವವರು,ಸರಕಾರಿಯಂತ್ರ ಮತ್ತು ದಲಿತ ಬಣಗಳು ತನಗೇನೂ ಸಂಬಂಧವಿಲ್ಲ ಎಂಬಂತೆ ಇರು ಪರಿ ಸಂವೇದನಾಶೀಲರಾದವರಿಗೆ ಕಿರಿಕಿರಿಯಾಗುವುದು ಸಹಜ. ಡಾ.ಶ್ರೀಪಾದ ಶೆಟ್ಟಿ