TUMAKURU: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, back after a fruitful New Delhi visit which yielded development projects for Karnataka, may not get a breather with the sensitive caste census issue expected to gain momentum. The assembly session is set to begin on Monday, and the opposition is readying its arsenal to target the government on this thorny subject.
The backward classes have already started demanding the release of the caste-based socio-economic survey report of the Backward Classes Commission, completed in 2017. But the present commission chairman Jayaprakash Hegde has highlighted that the erstwhile member-secretary and some members are not ready to sign the report. In fact, the survey report cannot be released unless the chief minister gives his nod.
Perhaps taking a cue from Hegde’s remarks, the newly floated Vokkaliga Veerashaiva Lingayat Vedike is preparing to oppose acceptance of the report and its release by the government. The Vedike held several meetings to create awareness among the respective communities to oppose the release of the report. Besides, central committee member of Veerashaiva Mahasabha B S Nataraj on Thursday wrote to Mahasabha president Shamanuru Shivashankarappa to take measures to create awareness among the community, and see to it that the census report is not released at any cost.
“A leaked version of the H K Kantharaju Commission report puts the Veerashaiva community’s population at a mere 50 lakh (9.8 per cent),” he said. According to previous surveys in Karnataka, the Veerashaiva Lingayat population is 16 per cent, followed by Scheduled Castes (15.1 per cent), religious minorities including Muslims (14 per cent), Scheduled Tribes (6.96 per cent), Kurubas (5 per cent) and other smaller communities. The real picture will evolve only when the report is accepted and released, said a former member.
“The report should be accepted and released as we will come to know which castes have improved their socio-economic and political status, based on which we can take a relook at giving social justice to those who still remain backward. It may also throw light on the Panchamashali Lingayats, who are demanding the 2A tag, based on their backwardness,” remarked senior Congress leader V S Ugrappa.
In fact, the Panchamashalis, led by religious head Sri Jayamrithyunjaya Swami, have set October 1 as the deadline for the government to take a decision, as the Centre has paved the way for the state to form its own Backward Classes communities list.
There is much curiosity as to how Bommai will handle the demands, and also a section of SCs seeking classification of quota. The issue is likely to haunt him for the rest of his term, and turn tricky when Karnataka heads into assembly elections in 2023.