The Karnataka government’s Socio-Economic and Educational Survey, which began last week, has sparked controversy. Communities are debating how to use their numbers to claim a larger share of the socio-political landscape. The opposition BJP claims the survey will foment unrest similar to the aftermath of the Mandal Commission report. There are other unanswered questions, too.
The number of castes and sub-castes is confusing, even more so after the Madhusudan Naik Commission has tentatively listed around 1,400 of them in the state. The Lingayats and Kodavas are in a spot on listing their religion as Hindu. And now, the Centre has intervened with a petition in the high court questioning the survey’s purpose and seeking a stay, as have Brahmin and Vokkaliga community organisations.
The Rs 420-crore Karnataka exercise follows the recent Scheduled Castes Communities Survey for internal reservation and precedes the upcoming nationwide census, which will also enumerate caste. A similar census by the Congress government in 2015 was set aside in 2024.
This time, the enumerators will be asking 60 questions, including details on religion, caste, and sub-caste. Aadhaar is being used to verify identity and prevent duplication. The government says its aim is to assess “the extent of poverty among caste groups”. The data collected will undoubtedly influence welfare policies; on the flip side, it could also become a tool for caste politics and electoral posturing.
Amid the controversies stirred by the previous survey, Karnataka’s dominant Lingayat and Veerashaiva Lingayat communities are divided over whether to list themselves as Hindu or Lingayat; they seek a separate religious tag. Both sects follow social reformer Basaveshwara, but Veerashaiva Lingayats worship Shiva and follow Hindu rituals, while Lingayats do not worship idols. United, they could form a significant demographic.
Agitation over this issue previously hurt Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress in the 2018 elections. At the centre is the debate over reservations in education, government jobs, and promotions.
While governments can conduct surveys—as Bihar and Telangana have done—the data must be transparent and not manipulated to deny communities their due or create division. Building a society with equal opportunities should be the aim, but that appears an idyll when caste politics reign supreme.