BENGALURU: Even as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah clarified that the socio-economic survey, also known as the caste survey, will be discussed in the cabinet before taking any further action, the Veerashaiva Lingayat and Vokkaliga leadership, cutting across party lines, have started opposing the report calling it “unscientific, politically motivated and obsolete”.
Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes (KSCBC) chairman Jayaprakash Hegde submitted the report with certain recommendations to the CM on Thursday.
“According to the report, Muslims account for 70 lakh and if so, how can they become a Minority? When their number is more than other castes, they cannot become the Minority. The government owes a reply,” BJP leader and former CM Basavaraj Bommai said.
“Siddaramaiah was the CM when the Kantharaj report was ready, but he didn’t accept it on account of the 2018 Assembly polls. There was a lot of confusion about the report at that time as the commission had claimed to have contacted 5.82 crore people… but many of them disputed that claim. Now the report that is submitted is that of former chairman of the commission H Kantharaj, but Jayaprakash Hegde claims it is his,” he pointed out.
The population of the Veerashaiva Lingayat community in the state is more than 2 crore. “However, there is a suspicion that the number has been reduced on purpose. I have got information that the report shows that the population of our community is only 65 lakh. That’s a lie,” alleged senior Congress MLA Shamanuru Shivashankarappa, who is also the president of the All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha. He urged the government not to accept the report, issuing a warning that he will not sit back but will fight for the community. He expressed displeasure that a nine-year-old report had been brought back and insisted on a scientific survey again.
The head of Sri Siddaganga Mutt Sri Siddalinga Swami also expressed his reservation about the report as he claimed that the persons concerned did not meet him when they claimed to have conducted the survey.
State Vokkaligara Sangha president D Hanumantaiah said that if the government discloses the report which is “unscientific” and proceeds with its implementation, there will be a fierce struggle against it.
But Dalit leader Mavalli Shankar said that the CM has accepted the report as he had promised the same during the January 28 rally of the AHINDA communities in Chitradurga to give social justice to the communities deprived of opportunities.
Not aware about submission of report, says government advocate
The Karnataka High Court on Friday directed the State Government to file an affidavit on whether the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes (KSCBC) has submitted the caste census report or not. The division bench of Chief Justice N V Anjaria and Justice T G Shivashankare Gowda issued the direction after hearing submissions made by the senior counsel representing the petitioner, and the government advocate.
When the court took up the public interest litigation filed by various organisations questioning the constitutional and legal competence of the state to amend the KSCBC Act to conduct the caste census, the senior counsel submitted that the report was submitted to the chief minister on Thursday. However, the government advocate submitted that “we were not aware about the submission of report. I have no instructions about it and will get back with the instructions”.