Constitutional concerns: Karnataka Governor sends Muslim quota bill to President

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Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot sent the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (Amendment) Bill to President Droupadi Murmu for her assent, citing constitutional concerns over the proposal to provide 4 per cent reservation to Muslims in government contracts.

The bill, which was passed by the Karnataka legislature last month, seeks to amend the state's procurement law to include a 4 per cent quota for Muslims among preferred groups eligible for state tenders and government projects.

This comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress government in Karnataka of granting reservations in tenders based on religion, alleging that the move “snatched the rights of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs)”.