BELAGAVI: A day after the Bihar government released its caste census report, all eyes are now on the Karnataka caste census which was carried out by the previous Siddaramaiah government in 2015. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, however, on Tuesday said that the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission has not yet submitted a report on the caste census.
Speaking to reporters in Belagavi, the CM, however, did not clarify whether his government would expedite the process of making the report public, but said his government would look into the matter once the commission submits the report to the government. “I had once sought the report from the commission but it is yet to be submitted,” he added.
Siddaramaiah said that the former chairman of the commission Kantharaju had drawn up the report on caste census when HD Kumaraswamy was the CM. “But Kumaraswamy did not accept the report during his tenure as the CM,” Siddaramaiah said.
Siddaramaiah said he himself had ordered for the caste census and socio-economic survey when Kantharaju was the chairman of the commission.
“However, the commission’s report was not prepared in its full form and by that time the coalition government headed by H D Kumaraswamy took over. Kumaraswamy did not accept the report and subsequently the term of Kantharaju as chairman also ended. Later, the BJP government named Jayaprakash Hegde as the chairman of the commission,” said Siddaramaiah, adding that Hegade had not submitted the census report. “We will see once the commission submitted its report,’’ he reiterated.
Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah has said his government has recommended to the Centre to include Kurubas in Kalaburgi, Bidar and Yadgir regions under the ST category. “The issue is with the Centre to finally decide on it,” he said, adding that his government will exert pressure on the Centre for the inclusion of Gollas, Kurubas and Koli sections under the ST category.
‘People of all castes, classes should get organised, claim constitutional rights’
“People of all castes and classes should get organised and claim their constitutional rights,” said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at the 9th National Convention of Shepherd India International here on Tuesday. “Socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia said it is not wrong to hold an organised convention for deprived castes to get their constitutional rights.
Disadvantaged communities are deprived of their rights and political power because they are not organised and do not develop leadership among themselves,” he said. “Our community has a political history and cultural grandeur. From Hakka Bukka to Ahalyabai Holkar, our community has great personalities.
However, due to lack of organisation, we were not able to get due credit. Without organisation, Kaginele would not have become gurupeeth,” he said. “Equality is possible only if every community grows economically, socially and politically. Everyone should get their share of power and opportunity. Ours is a caste-based and discriminatory society.
There is discrimination in the distribution of opportunities. Organisation and conventions are necessary to compensate for that,” he added. “The five guarantee schemes that I have formulated are not limited to one society, one religion, one caste. They are facilitating the lives of people of all castes and communities,” he said