BENGALURU: Rajya Sabha member Sudha Murty, refusing to participate in the Socio-Economic and Educational Survey, known as caste census, has continued to stir the pot with senior Congress leader.
MLC BK Hariprasad stating that those who don’t want to take part in the survey will be termed anti-constitutional and as traitors as it amounts to concealing vital public information.
He posted on X, “When a head of one of India’s IT companies & who is a Rajya Sabha MP -- openly says they will not participate in the caste census, it’s nothing short of concealing vital public information. The irony is glaring! These are the very people who deliver sermons on transparency, ethics & compliance. Yet when it comes to social accountability, they hide behind privilege & selective silence. This is the height of hypocrisy -- time to practice what you preach before lecturing & making tall claims on X before the nation on values & governance.”
He told reporters that even as forward castes opposed the survey, CM Siddaramaiah went ahead with it. “Those who don’t participate in the survey are anti-constitutional and we have to say they are traitors,” he added.
Sudha Murty and her husband, Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy, had declined to participate in the survey, saying they do not belong to a backward community. The Karnataka High Court has clarified that participation in the survey is optional and voluntary.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said he respected Sudha Murty’s stand, while Labour Minister Santosh Lad too echoed the sentiment. Former minister S Suresh Kumar said, “When many people hesitated to provide details for this survey, the state government had said that all the information will be kept strictly confidential.
When the matter came before the high court, it said the details of the survey will be kept confidential and everyone’s privacy will be protected.”
