DK Shivakumar assures no rushed decision on Karnataka caste census report

Shivakumar emphasized that all aspects of the report will be carefully examined and assured that any decision would be rooted in facts and fairness.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday stated that the government will not rush into making any decisions regarding the long-awaited Socio-Economic and Educational Survey report, commonly referred to as the caste census. His remarks come in the backdrop of growing political debate following the report’s recent tabling before the state cabinet.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. (PTI)

The contentious report, prepared by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, was submitted to the cabinet last Friday. A detailed discussion on its findings has been scheduled for a special cabinet meeting on April 17. Shivakumar emphasized that all aspects of the report will be carefully examined and assured that any decision would be rooted in facts and fairness. He also dismissed the criticisms around the report as politically motivated.

“I haven’t gone through the report yet as I was in Belagavi and Mangaluru. The Chief Minister has already said it will be deliberated in the cabinet, and potentially in the Assembly as well. No decision will be taken in haste,” he said, speaking to reporters in Doddaballapur.

Shivakumar also underlined the government’s intention to treat the issue with sensitivity, acknowledging that various statements being made were driven by political motives. “Let’s understand the data first and then ensure justice to all communities,” he added.

Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge also refrained from commenting, citing lack of information. “I have not seen the report and don’t know what the cabinet is going to discuss. I’ll react only once there is clarity after the April 17 meeting,” he said.

According to government sources familiar with the contents of the survey, the 2015 exercise covered approximately 5.98 crore people. Of these, about 70 percent—or 4.16 crore—are classified under Other Backward Classes (OBCs). The Commission has reportedly recommended increasing the OBC reservation quota from 32 percent to 51 percent.

If implemented, this would raise Karnataka's total reservation to 75 percent, factoring in the current 17 percent for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 7 percent for Scheduled Tribes (STs). The survey pegs the SC/ST population at 1.52 crore, making them the single largest social group in the state.

Though the detailed caste-wise classification of OBCs remains undisclosed, sources say Muslims under Category 2B alone comprise 75.25 lakh people. In contrast, the general (unreserved) category accounts for only 29.74 lakh.

However, the report has sparked sharp opposition from Karnataka’s two politically dominant communities — the Vokkaligas and the Lingayats. Both groups have dismissed the survey as "flawed and unscientific" and are demanding that a fresh census be conducted.

The current controversy traces its origins back to 2015, when the then Congress-led government under Siddaramaiah initiated the survey. The data collection was overseen by the State Backward Classes Commission led by H Kantharaju. Although the fieldwork concluded in 2018, the final report was only completed in February 2024 under the leadership of his successor, K Jayaprakash Hegde.

The opposition from Vokkaligas and Lingayats poses a significant challenge for the Congress government, particularly given the political clout both communities wield. Shivakumar, himself a Vokkaliga and the Karnataka Congress chief, had earlier joined other ministers in signing a memorandum to the Chief Minister urging that the report be scrapped.

Meanwhile, the All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha — the apex body representing the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community — has also rejected the findings. The Mahasabha is headed by senior Congress MLA Shamanuru Shivashankarappa, and several Lingayat ministers and legislators have echoed similar sentiments.

(With PTI inputs)