BENGALURU: State BJP leaders on Tuesday urged Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to advise the Congress government not to go ahead with the socio-educational survey. The party leaders met the governor and objected to the survey, which according to them, is a flawed and divisive exercise.
In a memorandum submitted to the governor, they said, “A fool-proof, transparent and credible survey in alignment with the Union government’s 2026-27 national exercise is the only acceptable way forward.’’
They said many religious and community leaders have dismissed the exercise as unscientific and unreliable. It is clear that the Congress government is pushing an agenda that lacks public trust.
The government conducted a similar survey in 2014-15, but the report was not accepted. Now, the government is making another attempt without learning from its mistakes. It has not revealed the reasons for not accepting the Kantharaju Commission report, they said.
The BJP leaders sought to know why discrepancies in the Jayaprakash Hegde Commission report have not been rectified. Without addressing these issues, the government is conducting another survey. It will not serve any purpose, they said.
The timing of the survey is questionable as the government plans to complete it in just 15 days, during the Dasara festival. “This is impractical and will only result in incomplete and unreliable data,’’ they said.
They said a survey of the SCs and STs taken up by the Nagamohan Das Commission (covering 17% of the population) could not be completed in 15 days. Even after two months, the commission could cover only 57% of Bengaluru’s SC/ST population. If this is the fate of a limited exercise, how can a statewide survey of all communities be completed in a fortnight?
The BJP leaders opposed the specific columns in the survey form for Kuruba Christians, Madivala Christians, Lingayat Christians, etc. This move of the government is questionable. Such categories have not been mentioned in the reports of earlier commissions. While the Kantharaju Commission mentioned 19 castes in the Muslim community, the Jayaprakash Hegde Commission listed 99 castes. These discrepancies have not been rectified. There is no justification for including a religion column in what is supposed to be a caste survey, they said.
Instead of strengthening backward communities, the government, through this survey, is attempting to create a rift between them. It is nothing but a political gimmick, the BJP leaders said.