Boycott or selective participation: Lack of clarity clouds BJP's stance on Karnataka caste survey

Bengaluru: Following the High Court’s order not to make the ongoing social and educational survey compulsory, BJP leaders have taken different stands, in the absence of an official stand by the party.

The previous socio-educational survey was conducted in 2015 by the H Kantharaj-led backward classes commission during Siddaramaiah’s first term as chief minister.

The ‘dominant’ Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities had called the survey ‘unscientific’ and claimed that their numbers were ‘undercounted’.

On Saturday, Bangalore South MP L S Tejasvi Surya had declared that he wouldn’t take part in the survey.

“This (survey) won’t help any caste or the poor. So, please, boycott this caste census or Siddaramaiah census. The HC has allowed us to do that,” Surya, a Brahmin, had said.

Questioning the intent and execution of the ongoing exercise, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra on Sunday said the party was yet to take a final decision on whether to boycott the survey.

However, he said all Hindu communities — Veerashaiva-Lingayats, Vokkaligas, Dalits, and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) — should uniformly declare themselves as ‘Hindu’ in religion column.

Vijayendra told reporters here, “We haven’t taken any decision. All party leaders are discussing it. Last week, we held a two-day workshop of people’s representatives, where we took a clear stand that we should mention religion as Hindu”.

He stressed the importance of unity and consistency in religious identity among Hindu communities. “It is our collective responsibility,” the state BJP president said.

Explaining that participating in the survey was voluntary, Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka charged that the survey was being falsely presented as a socio-educational initiative.

“This is not a socio-educational survey. This is Siddaramaiah’s caste survey. It’s a survey to label people. It’s not about data or development; it’s about budget cuts and vote bank politics,” he said.

He cautioned citizens against providing personal information, especially financial details, urging that people only answer questions they deem appropriate.

Accusing the Congress government of financial mismanagement, Ashoka said the caste survey was being used as a pretext to cancel ration cards and cut welfare schemes.

“There is no money in treasury. By collecting details about people’s income, they may remove some ration card holders from the list. For that, they need criteria. This caste survey is being done for that reason and to cut schemes. Preparation for the upcoming budget has become a headache for CM Siddaramaiah. They need to save money for that. This survey is being used as a tool to reduce government expenditure,” he said.

Ashoka added that the survey was politically motivated and not genuinely about data collection or development.

Karkala MLA V Sunil Kumar, an OBC (Ediga) leader in BJP, said people could selectively answer the 60 questions in the questionnaire. While clarifying that participating in the survey was left to the discretion of the people, Kumar requested those participating to mention themselves as Hindus.

“Though the BJP had earlier opposed this exercise at the state level, it has committed to a caste census at the central level, which these people cannot oppose. But they are not very clear on how to save their face. Thus, we are witnessing this indecisiveness,” said political analyst Harish Ramaswamy.