Karnataka caste census: Siddaramaiah cabinet defers discussion on contentious survey again as 21 ministers seek detailed report

 

The Karnataka cabinet is yet to arrive at a consensus on the contentious socio-economic and educational survey, as only 11 ministers gave their opinion in writing on the report submitted by the Karnataka Backward Classes Commission, while 21 ministers have sought more time to study the report.

 

The report, also referred to as ‘Caste census’, has divided the ruling Congress after the ministers and leaders from the politically dominant communities, especially Vokkaliga and Lingayat, had opposed the report stating their communities were undercounted. The chief minister has deferred the discussion on the report to the next meeting (May 15) and asked the ministers to come prepared with their opinions.

 

Some ministers had sought a detailed version of the report as only a concise report had been given to them on April 11. Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil, while addressing a press briefing, said, “Additional information like taluk-wise data has been given to the ministers and the chief minister has asked the district in-charge ministers to give their opinions in writing.”

 

It may be recalled that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had called for greater representation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) based on their population, besides the SC and ST communities, by endorsing the slogan 'Jitni abadi utna Haq' (Rights proportionate to the population) during the Lok Sabha polls last year. Taking a cue from the party leadership, the Congress-ruled states Telangana and now Karnataka have tabled the surveys.

 

In Karnataka, the politically dominant Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities have been opposing the survey citing “flaws” in enumeration and lack of reliable data in the absence of a national Census (after 2011).

Siddaramaiah, who holds sway over the ‘Ahinda’ (minorities, backward classes and Dalit) voters is being accused of playing a political game through the survey, to consolidate his votebank at the expense of the dominant communities.

 

In 2015, during Siddaramaiah’s first stint as the chief minister (2013-2018), he commissioned a study of the socio-economic and educational status of the various social groups (referred to as the ‘caste survey’). Accordingly, the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes (H. Kantharaju Commission) prepared a report spending Rs 169 crore. 

 

While the report was ready by 2016, it was put in cold storage by subsequent governments fearing a backlash from politically dominant and numerically strong communities – the Vokkaliga and Lingayat. Again in 2020, the Bharatiya Janata Party government appointed Jayaprakash Hegde as the Commission chief, but the report was not made public. Hegde submitted the final report to the Siddaramaiah government on February 29, 2024, where he recommended reservation in education and public employment and targeted intervention to empower the backward communities.

 

The Vokkaligara Sangha and the All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, which represent the Vokkaligas and Lingayats, are opposed to the caste census. The two communities believed to be numerically strong (Lingayat – 17 per cent of the total population and Vokkaliga – 12 per cent) have been wielding immense political power. At least 16 of the 23 chief ministers of Karnataka belong to these two caste groups. The community leaders, cutting across party lines, feel that the census, by undercounting their numbers, might curtail their political representation both within and outside the party. 

India