BENGALURU: In a move that could put the Congress government in Karnataka in a tight spot, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has joined leaders from his Vokkaliga community in demanding Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to reject the ‘socio-economic and educational’ survey or the caste census report.
While the CM has been maintaining that he would accept the H Kantharaju Commission report and implement its recommendations, the DyCM signed a memorandum by the Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha and Rajya Vokkaligara Meesalathi Horata Samiti, Karnataka, that termed yet-to-be submitted report as flawed, incomplete, unscientific and irrelevant.
The memorandum addressed to the CM was submitted to his office on November 15. Apart from Shivakumar, it is also signed by many senior Congress, BJP and JDS leaders, including former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, former CMs SM Krishna, HD Kumaraswamy and DV Sadandanda Gowda, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka and Vokkaliga seer Nirmalanandananatha Swamiji.
State Backward Classes Commission Chairman Jayaprakash Hegde is expected to submit the report to the government before his tenure ends this month. The survey was commissioned during Siddaramaiah’s first stint as CM (2013-18) and he had criticised the previous government for not accepting the report. Now, with the DyCM and several ministers demanding him to reject it, Siddaramaiah may have to reconsider his stand on the report.
In its scathing remarks against the report, the community leaders stated that data was not collected by visiting all houses, and as per media reports in 2015 those involved in the survey work allegedly paid Rs 5 to Rs 10 to school students to fill up the forms. It is also learned that as per the survey report, the state’s population is 5.40 crore, but as per the Aadhaar details the population is 6.90 crore. It will be an injustice to all communities if the government accepts such an incomplete report, the memorandum stated.
The memorandum also stated that in the absence of an original draft of the report, there are several apprehensions and it is difficult to trust the report. They also questioned the commission’s power to conduct caste census or census as it can only be done by the central government and not by any state agency. “The State Government has no power to conduct a caste census and Kantharaju commission report is illegal,” the memorandum stated. They urged the CM to direct the current chairman of the commission not to give any report to the government.
If the government feels it necessary, social and educational survey can be done again in a transparent, scientific, and as per the law, the memorandum urged.