Caste census: Congress faces Lingayat, Vokkaliga heat

Bengaluru: A day after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accepted the Socio-Economic & Educational Survey, also known as the caste census, trouble started brewing for the Congress with the powerful Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities threatening a backlash.

The Lingayats and Vokkaligas - the state's politically-dominant communities - were mobilising themselves to oppose the findings of the caste census in the run-up to the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes submitting its report to Siddaramaiah.

Senior Congress lawmaker Shamanur Shivashankarappa, who heads the All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, said his community has been "deliberately" undercounted in the caste census.

"We won't keep quiet. We'll wait for the government's next step. We will prove that the survey is unscientific," Shamanur said.

Shamanur claimed to be aware of the findings of the census, which the government has not officially released. "It is shown that the population of Lingayats, Vokkaligas and Brahmins together is 1.86 crore. We're saying that Lingayats alone are not less than two crore. That's why we're saying it is unscientific. It must be done correctly," he said, pointing out that the census is nine years old.

"Looking at this, it seems like our numbers have been shown less deliberately," Shamanur said.

The Mahasabha had earlier petitioned Siddaramaiah to junk the caste census that was carried out when H Kantharaj headed the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes. "It is the same Kantharaj report that has been merely delivered to the government by (current chairperson) K Jayaprakash Hegde," Shamanur said.

The Mahasabha is planning to carry out its own survey to prove its point on the Lingayat population in the state, Shamanur said. "Our numbers are shown as 65-70 lakh. But we're not less than two crore," he insisted.

When asked if the caste census will adversely impact the ruling Congress in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Shamanur said: "I won't comment on that now."

Vokkaligas claim that they account for 16 per cent of the state’s population, which they say is not reflected in the caste census findings.

The community, to which Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar belongs, has planned meetings with senior leaders to chalk out protests. Earlier, Shivakumar had signed a petition addressed to Siddaramaiah urging the government to junk the report.

"The survey contains information without visiting all households. The report was submitted to the government without making necessary changes as sought by our community's pontiffs and leaders such as HD Deve Gowda, DK Shivakumar and others," State Vokkaliga Reservation Committee's chief convener Nagaraj Yelachavadi said.

Vokkaligara Sangha president CN Balakrishna, who is also a JD(S) lawmaker, said the community is not against the idea of caste census. "Our objection is to this particular survey, which wasn't done scientifically," he said.