<p>Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will have to justify to his Cabinet on Thursday the need to count castes afresh, a decision being seen as a win for his deputy D K Shivakumar. </p>.<p>A special meeting of the Cabinet is expected to finalise the modalities of a fresh caste survey, which could make the 2015 enumeration redundant. </p>.<p>Siddaramaiah was consistently defending the 2015 Social & Educational Survey despite opposition from various communities, including the ‘dominant’ Lingayats and Vokkaligas. The CM maintained that the survey was done scientifically. </p>.2015 caste survey a 'waste of taxpayers' money, says Karnataka BJP.<p>Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga, had signed a petition addressed to Siddaramaiah in November 2023, asking the government to junk the 2015 survey. </p>.<p>The Congress high command’s prod towards re-enumeration has come as a relief to a section of lawmakers - even those on Siddaramaiah’s side -- who were struggling to take a public position on the controversial 2015 survey. </p>.<p>A senior minister identified as a Siddaramaiah loyalist had told DH in April that the government would be better off by doing a recount of castes.</p>.<p>“We really don’t know how this 2015 survey report would impact Congress in the next election,” this wary minister had said. </p>.<p>Politically, the decision to count castes again is being seen as a setback to Siddaramaiah.</p>.<p>The CM’s economic advisor Basavaraj Rayareddi, a Lingayat, disagreed with this view. </p>.<p>“I was among the first Lingayat leaders to say that the report must be implemented,” he said.</p>.<p>“When the Constitution can be amended, can’t we amend the report if there are shortcomings?” </p>.<p>Rayareddi, however, conceded that there were problems with the 2015 report.</p>.<p>“Among Veerashaiva-Lingayats, there are Reddys, Kooda Vokkaligas, Ganigas, Banajigas and Sadars. There are other Reddys, Sadars et al. But they did not write the correct nomenclature during the survey,” he explained. </p>.<p>Senior Congress leader B K Hariprasad said the government must have clear terms of reference for the new survey, so that it doesn’t run into rough weather like the earlier one. </p>.<p>“Capturing the social, educational, economic and political status of communities can’t be done in 60 days. The SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities are keenly watching this,” he said. </p>.<p><strong>Aadhaar-linked survey? </strong></p><p>The Cabinet may discuss the use of Aadhaar during re-enumeration of castes to make it a fool-proof exercise. “As far as I know and this is what I’ve suggested citizens will be asked to provide their Aadhaar numbers. There’ll be no doubts about the survey if Aadhaar is used” Rayareddi said. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will have to justify to his Cabinet on Thursday the need to count castes afresh, a decision being seen as a win for his deputy D K Shivakumar. </p>.<p>A special meeting of the Cabinet is expected to finalise the modalities of a fresh caste survey, which could make the 2015 enumeration redundant. </p>.<p>Siddaramaiah was consistently defending the 2015 Social & Educational Survey despite opposition from various communities, including the ‘dominant’ Lingayats and Vokkaligas. The CM maintained that the survey was done scientifically. </p>.2015 caste survey a 'waste of taxpayers' money, says Karnataka BJP.<p>Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga, had signed a petition addressed to Siddaramaiah in November 2023, asking the government to junk the 2015 survey. </p>.<p>The Congress high command’s prod towards re-enumeration has come as a relief to a section of lawmakers - even those on Siddaramaiah’s side -- who were struggling to take a public position on the controversial 2015 survey. </p>.<p>A senior minister identified as a Siddaramaiah loyalist had told DH in April that the government would be better off by doing a recount of castes.</p>.<p>“We really don’t know how this 2015 survey report would impact Congress in the next election,” this wary minister had said. </p>.<p>Politically, the decision to count castes again is being seen as a setback to Siddaramaiah.</p>.<p>The CM’s economic advisor Basavaraj Rayareddi, a Lingayat, disagreed with this view. </p>.<p>“I was among the first Lingayat leaders to say that the report must be implemented,” he said.</p>.<p>“When the Constitution can be amended, can’t we amend the report if there are shortcomings?” </p>.<p>Rayareddi, however, conceded that there were problems with the 2015 report.</p>.<p>“Among Veerashaiva-Lingayats, there are Reddys, Kooda Vokkaligas, Ganigas, Banajigas and Sadars. There are other Reddys, Sadars et al. But they did not write the correct nomenclature during the survey,” he explained. </p>.<p>Senior Congress leader B K Hariprasad said the government must have clear terms of reference for the new survey, so that it doesn’t run into rough weather like the earlier one. </p>.<p>“Capturing the social, educational, economic and political status of communities can’t be done in 60 days. The SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities are keenly watching this,” he said. </p>.<p><strong>Aadhaar-linked survey? </strong></p><p>The Cabinet may discuss the use of Aadhaar during re-enumeration of castes to make it a fool-proof exercise. “As far as I know and this is what I’ve suggested citizens will be asked to provide their Aadhaar numbers. There’ll be no doubts about the survey if Aadhaar is used” Rayareddi said. </p>
