What is unfolding in Karnataka in the name of achieving social justice reminds us that caste continues to be a dominant influence in politics. The previous Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka government (2013-18) had commissioned a Socio-economic and Educational Survey in 2015 (SES-2015), which was completed near the end of 2018 by the State Backward Classes Commission under its then chairperson H Kantharaju. The report was finalised in February 2024 by Kantharaju’s successor, K Jayaprakash Hegde, months after Siddaramaiah returned as chief minister in his present tenure. The report was placed before the Karnataka cabinet last week and inconclusively debated at a meeting this week. It is scheduled to be taken up again at the May 2 cabinet meeting.
The SES-2015—commonly called the caste census—has already touched a raw nerve, with Karnataka’s two dominant castes, the Veerashaiva Lingayats and the Vokkaligas, and several other castes and sub-castes raising objections. They have called it ‘unscientific’ and demanded its rejection, citing that the survey was conducted a decade ago and its data would be outdated today. They have called for a fresh survey conducted in a scientific manner. The opposition to the SES-2015 cuts across party lines. Some of Siddaramaiah’s own ministers and other Congress MLAs are criticising it. Their objections are based on worries that their caste numbers are under-counted and the actual populations not correctly reflected.
It is not lost on those opposed to the SES-2015 that one of Siddaramaiah’s strong political playing cards is his support base of AHINDA (a Kannada acronym for minorities, OBCs and Dalits), influenced by Karnataka’s former CM and champion of backward classes, Devraj Urs. If social justice—an equitable distribution of wealth, opportunities and privileges in society—is the main objective, then cherry-picking through surveys to identify communities and share benefits can be fraught with the risk of deeply fracturing society. Surveys on castes and communities need to be conducted with utmost caution by taking all stakeholders into confidence. The political class needs to realise that courting castes in the name of social justice is not the path to harmonious progress. Ensuring inclusive and equitable access to the elements of social justice is.