BENGALURU: Amid the growing demand from leaders of Backward Classes (BC) to implement the socio-economic and educational survey report, popularly known as caste census, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said that a decision on implementing it will be taken after discussion at the cabinet meeting on October 18.
After a meeting with ministers, legislators and leaders from Backward Classes, Siddaramaiah told reporters that Karnataka is the first state in the country to conduct such a survey during his first tenure as chief minister (2013 to 2018). The survey report was submitted to the state government in February. But the CM said he has not gone through the report.
The report, prepared by the H Kantharaj Commission, is not just about Backward Classes, but it has covered all seven crore people of the state, the CM said. Legislators and leaders from BC communities have urged him to implement the recommendations of the report, he added.
Siddaramaiah said that during his first tenure as CM, the commission conducted a detailed survey, but its report was not ready then. It was completed when HD Kumaraswamy was chief minister, but he refused to accept it. Later, the BJP government too did not accept the report. “We will take an appropriate decision after discussing it at the cabinet meeting,” he added. But sources said that even after cabinet discussion, a cabinet sub-committee is likely to be formed to look into the report and give its recommendations. On Monday, a delegation of around 30 leaders, including ministers, MLAs, MLCs, and former chairman of the State Backward Classes Commission CS Dwarkanath, met the chief minister.
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They submitted a memorandum, urging him to place the report before the cabinet and implement it. BJP leader N Ravi Kumar, who was the only MLC from that party to be part of the delegation, said the report should be released first. His party’s stand will be made known after going through it. During the meeting with the CM, he emphasised the need to give priority for the welfare of the most backward communities among the SCs, STs and OBCs. While the leaders from Backward Classes want the caste census report to be implemented, the Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities have opposed it and have termed it unscientific. Many senior Congress leaders from these dominant communities are against its implementation.