Ballari: Amid criticism from the BJP over the state cabinet’s decision to increase the minority reservation in housing schemes from 10 to 15 percent, Housing and Minority Welfare Minister BZ Zameer Ahmad Khan has clarified that the move is neither sudden nor unprecedented.
Responding to the BJP’s allegations of “appeasement politics,” the minister pointed out that the proposal was first made in 2019 by a cabinet sub-committee formed under the coalition government led by then Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy.
“The cabinet sub-committee that was constituted during the 2019 coalition government had made this recommendation. Now, the proposal has been brought before the cabinet and approved,” he said in a statement.
Citing national precedents, Khan said the Union government already provides 15 percent reservation to minorities under central housing schemes, as per the recommendations of the Sachar Committee. He further referred to a 2021 report by the National Commission for Minorities which endorsed the same percentage.
Khan argued that the decision was driven by social equity, as many poor families from minority communities continue to lack access to decent housing. “This was a long-pending demand,” he asserted.
Taking aim at the opposition, Khan said, “It is unfortunate that the opposition parties are choosing to politicize a welfare decision without understanding its basis in past recommendations and social realities.”
