Siddaramaiah slams Narayana Murty, Sudha Murty over refusal to participate in…, says ‘It is wrong…’

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday criticised Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty and Infosys founder Narayana Murthy for declining to take part in the state government’s caste-based socio-economic survey.

Calling Sudha Murty’s understanding of the initiative “misguided,” Siddaramaiah said the couple’s decision appeared to be based on misinformation. He further questioned whether they would also refuse to cooperate if the Central government conducted a similar caste survey.

Siddaramaiah On Murty & Caste Survey

“It is wrong to think of the survey as a survey of the backward classes,” Siddaramaiah told reporters. “The central government will also conduct a caste census in the coming days. Will they still not cooperate? They may be showing such disobedience due to the misinformation they have. The state has a population of about seven crore, and this is an economic, educational and social survey of these people.”

He further stated that the initiative involved people from all sections. “This is a survey that is being done, including the entire population. Under the Shakti Yojana, the poor and the upper castes will all be included. There is misinformation about this. The government has conveyed the messages of the ministers and the chief minister to the people through advertisements. It’s a survey of seven crore people of the state,” he said.

Priyank Kharge’s Disappointment Over Sudha Murty

Earlier on Thursday, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge also expressed his disappointment over Sudha Murty opting out of Karnataka’s socio-economic survey. He said it was surprising that a member of parliament would make such statements. He questioned whether Murty’s decision was influenced by BJP leaders, given her association with the party.

Speaking to reporters, Priyank Kharge said, “The Caste Census is a government initiative. First of all, it is a survey that includes a wealth of additional information. It is surprising that a member of parliament makes such statements. Clearly, I think it is inspired by other BJP leaders or the co-direction, saying it is voluntary, but more is expected from people like them because they inspire many generations and continue to do so. However, saying that I will not participate in a government survey is not right. You could have refused to answer a few questions at most.”

This comes after Sudha Murty, in a self-attested letter to the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission, stated that the family’s refusal to participate in the survey was due to their belief that they do not belong to a backward community and therefore would not participate in this survey.

In the letter, Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty stated that they were refusing to provide personal details. “We and our family will not participate in the census, and we are confirming it through this letter,” the letter read.

(With Inputs From ANI)

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