Karnataka cabinet may discuss 'caste census' in next meeting, says state minister H K Patil

Bengaluru: Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil on Thursday indicated the possibility of the Socio-Economic and Education Survey report, popularly known as the "caste census," being placed before the cabinet at its next meeting.

The Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, under its then Chairman K Jayaprakash Hegde, submitted the report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on February 29 last year.

Responding to a question on the possibility of the state cabinet discussing the caste census report in its next meeting, Patil said, "Quite possible." He was speaking to reporters while briefing them about cabinet decisions today.

The caste census report was submitted to the CM amid objections from certain sections of society and within the ruling Congress.

Karnataka's two dominant communities–Vokkaligas and Lingayats–have expressed reservations about the survey, calling it "unscientific," and have demanded that it be rejected and a fresh survey conducted.

The commission, headed by Jayaprakash Hegde, stated that the report was based on data collected by 1.6 lakh officials, including 1.33 lakh teachers, under the leadership of respective Deputy Commissioners of districts across the state in 2014-15, when H Kantharaju was the Chairman.

The then Siddaramaiah-led Congress government (2013-2018) commissioned the survey in 2015 at an estimated cost of Rs 170 crore.

The state Backward Classes Commission, under its then chairperson Kantharaju, was tasked with preparing a caste census report. The survey work was completed in 2018, towards the end of Siddaramaiah’s first tenure as Chief Minister. However, the findings of the survey, in the form of a report, were never made public thereafter.

With strong disapproval from Lingayats and Vokkaligas – the survey report may turn out to be a political hot potato for the government. This could set the stage for a confrontation, with Dalits and OBCs, among others, demanding that the report be made public.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress president and a Vokkaliga, was a signatory, along with a couple of other ministers, to a memorandum submitted by the community to the Chief Minister earlier, requesting that the report, along with the data, be rejected.

The All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, the apex body of Veerashaiva-Lingayats, which has also expressed its disapproval of the survey and demanded a fresh survey, is headed by veteran Congress leader and MLA Shamanuru Shivashankarappa.

Several Lingayat ministers and MLAs have also raised objections.

According to some reports, the findings of the survey are allegedly contrary to the "traditional perception" of the numerical strength of various castes in Karnataka, especially Lingayats and Vokkaligas, making it a "politically sensitive issue".