BENGALURU: A day after the Congress high command asked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to step down, there appears to be an effort to pick up the AHINDA narrative again.
Siddaramaiah on Wednesday received the Karnataka Socio-Economic and Educational Survey report, known as caste census, from the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes Chairman Madhusudan Naik on Wednesday.
Sources from the government said the report was supposed to be submitted only on May 29 but the CM insisted on receiving the report early.
The CM said the report would guide implementation of social justice in the state. In a post on X, the CM said he had ordered the survey during his first tenure as the CM to collect data on social and educational status of all communities but successive governments had not accepted the report. A fresh survey was carried out to collect data scientifically, the CM added.
The Backward Classes Commission in its report is said to have recommended increasing reservation quota for Backward Classes from the existing 32 per cent to 42 per cent. The Commission in its report has proposed dividing castes under Category–1 into two groups, and castes under Category–2 and Category–3 into three groups, sources said.
Speaking to reporters, Naik said he cannot comment on the report. “I hope the cabinet will discuss the report and take it forward,” he said.
When asked why the report was submitted early amid talks of the CM stepping down, Naik said there is no connection. “It is just a coincidence. The report was ready 25 days earlier. It took time to translate to Kannada,” he said. Naik said the report is around 300 pages with 13 chapters. “In the 13th chapter, we have given recommendations,” he said.
Sources said though the report cannot be made available to the public at present, there are chances of Siddaramaiah and his team influencing the party leaders in its implementation. Many anticipate that AHINDA community numbers might have gone up.
A similar survey conducted by the H Kantharaj Commission in 2015 and submitted by the Jayaprakash Hegde-led commission in 2024 was not taken forward. There was stiff opposition from the Congress leaders from Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities, including Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. The state government has spent over Rs 400 crore for the 2026 report, said sources.
