Karnataka Caste Census Submitted Before Polls, Irks Lingayats, Vokkaligas

Bengaluru:

A socio-economic survey report, submitted today, has set off a political row in Karnataka, even though its contents are yet to be made public. The survey, ordered by the previous Siddaramaiah government in 2017, has upset the politically dominant Lingayat and Vokkaliga castes, who now want it to be shredded.

The 2017 socio economic survey report was submitted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today by Jaiprakash Hegde. The Chairman of the OBC Commission walked into Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru at 2.45 pm today — the last day of his tenure — and met Mr Siddaramaiah briefly, before addressing the media.

“We have submitted the report. The CM said he will table it in the next Cabinet and decide,” he said. The Chief Minister concurred, refusing to comment any further.

Sources said the findings could challenge the dominance of the Lingayat sect and the Other Backward Caste Vokkaliga community as the largest voting blocks in the state.

According to sources and reports published over the last few years, the survey puts Scheduled Castes as the most populous, followed by Muslims. Lingayats come next, followed by Vokkaligas and then other castes.

The report, therefore, has faced stiff opposition. A backlash from the Lingayat and Vokkaliga groups, which claimed the report as unscientific, has made publishing the caste data fraught with risk.

Even state Congress chief and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who belongs to the Vokkaliga caste, had expressed his opposition earlier. The BJP, dominated by Lingayat leaders, is also on the same page.

Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, BJP MLA from Karnataka, said, “This survey is not scientific. This has displeased the Lingayats and Vokkaligas. We will oppose this. We will request the Congress government to redo this survey by going door-to-door and then we will accept it.”

In face of criticism from Lingayat and Vokkaliga leaders of the Congress as well, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has suggested that the report be discussed in the cabinet first. Legal advice and the opinion of experts would be taken if there are anomalies, he promised.

HK Patil, Karnataka’s Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, said, “I have no comments to make either on the report or on the comments made by our colleagues. Everything depends on whether we accept it or not. We may receive it. We may take some time to study it. Anything might happen.”

During the survey, 54 questions were asked to 5,90,00,000 people from 1,30,00,000 families. The survey was first ordered in 2014 by then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Rs 169 crore was spent on the project.

Though the report was ready in 2017, it was not accepted due to technical glitches, and successive Chief Ministers delayed accepting it.

The caste census in Karnataka is a delicate and tricky issue. With Vokkaligas and Lingayats raising a banner of revolt, it is not sure if the Congress government would be willing to publish it ahead of the Lok Sabha election.