E-Paper
Karnataka defers tabling of caste survey report
The Socio-Economic and Education Survey report, commonly referred to as the caste census, was originally scheduled for discussion in the state cabinet on January 16
Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that the government had decided to delay the presentation of a controversial caste survey report that had sparked a controversy and caused dissension even within the ruling Congress.
The Socio-Economic and Education Survey report, commonly referred to as the caste census, was originally scheduled for discussion in the state cabinet on January 16.
“We were supposed to table the report tomorrow (January 16), but now we will table it in the next cabinet meeting. We are not tabling it tomorrow,” Siddaramaiah said, adding to the ongoing debate surrounding the contentious survey.
The Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes submitted the report of the survey –– conducted between 2014 and 2015 –– on February 29 last year under the leadership of its then chairman K Jayaprakash Hegde. The survey involved 160,000 personnel, including 133,000 teachers, and was conducted under the supervision of deputy commissioners in districts across the state. The project incurred an estimated cost of ₹160 crore.
Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara weighed in on the issue on Wednesday, calling for the report to be made public. “Let the details of caste census come into the public domain. The decisions over the report are a different matter. We have seen earlier that the decisions are made based on census. I won’t be able to tell now whether there will be a discussion on it in the cabinet meeting. At least we will know about the abstract of the report,” he said.
IT/BT minister Priyank Kharge urged the public to withhold judgment until the report’s full contents and methodology were made available. “Firstly, it is not a caste census, it is a socio-economic survey of the state,” he said.
“Only when they have been tabled, and when we have a look at the methodology of what survey has happened, that is how we will know. Everybody has the right to either accept it or reject it, but let us first look at the methodology and find out if it’s scientific or not,” he added.
The report has faced strong opposition from Karnataka’s influential Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities, who have described the findings as “unscientific” and demanded a resurvey. The All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, led by Congress veteran Shamanuru Shivashankarappa, has also voiced its disapproval, aligning with several ministers and lawmakers from the Lingayat community who raised similar concerns.
Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief and a prominent Vokkaliga leader, previously signed a memorandum urging the chief minister to reject the report.
The leaked findings from 2018 had suggested that the Lingayats and Vokkaligas were less numerous than what is popularly perceived, angering the two dominant communities.
But the delay has drawn criticism from Dalits and backward classes, who have called for the report’s immediate implementation.
Karnataka’s Leader of Opposition R Ashoka launched a scathing critique of Siddaramaiah.
“When in trouble, Siddaramaiah remembers the caste census, like seeking Lord Venkateshwara’s blessings in difficult times,” Ashoka said, accusing the CM of using the caste survey as a political tool.
”Neither the BJP nor I personally have any objections to the caste census. The BJP’s core principle of ‘Antyodaya’ is deeply rooted in ensuring political, social, educational, and economic upliftment of the most marginalised communities....but we oppose using the caste census as a pawn in political chess games,” he added.
