Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Thursday, July 18, that the “confusions” over the jobs quota Bill will be taken up in the next Cabinet meeting. He also said that the Congress government in the state has decided to withhold the bill mandating job reservation for Kannadigas in private sector due to “certain confusion.”
“On Monday, complete discussion (on the topic) could not take place in the cabinet meeting. By then reports had appeared in the media,” he told the Karnataka Assembly, adding that there was some “confusion.”
“We will clear those confusions in the next cabinet meeting. Let’s have a detailed discussion,” he said while replying to Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka’s demand to clarify the state government’s stand on the reservation Bill.
Ashoka pointed out that Siddaramaiah changed his post on X (formerly Twitter) three times, recalling the first post on 100 per cent reservation for Kannadigas in the private sector which was later deleted. He said the chief minister then posted another message saying that there will be 50 per cent reservation in the management category and 70 per cent in non-management category for Kannadigas.
“Finally, you announced putting the bill on hold. There appears to be a Tughlaq government in Karnataka,” he said.
In his reply, Siddaramaiah said, “There is no Tughlaq government, but Siddaramaiah government. We will take up the bill in the next cabinet meeting.”
On Monday, the state Cabinet approved the Karnataka State Employment of Local Candidates in Industries, Factories, and Other Establishments Bill, 2024, which mandates that private firms reserve jobs for Kannadigas.
“Any industry, factory or other establishments shall appoint fifty per cent of local candidates in management categories and seventy per cent in non-management categories,” the Bill read. If the candidates do not possess secondary school certificates with Kannada as a language, they should pass a Kannada proficiency test as specified by the ‘Nodal Agency’, it added.
