Karnataka Cabinet bins survey findings from 2015, decides on fresh census citing legalese

'....we have taken a decision in the cabinet. It was a unanimous decision in the cabinet that a new survey is to be conducted,' Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told reporters after a special cabinet meeting.

Bengaluru: Citing legalese, the Karnataka Cabinet decided on Thursday to conduct a fresh social and educational survey (caste census), effectively binning the one done in 2015 at a cost of Rs 165 crore, which was used as a political dangle for the last two years.

Addressing reporters after a special Cabinet on the Caste census, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said: “Section 11(1) of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes Act 1995 mandates a revision of the state backward classes list once in 10 years. Since the survey was done 10 years ago, there needs to be another social and educational survey as per the law.”

The decision implies that alongside the census, the recommendations of the K Jayaprakash Hegde Commission, submitted in February 2024, will also be effectively junked. These include hiking the reservation for backward classes from 32% to 51%, moving Kurubas and other communities from category 2A to 1B and introducing creamy layer reservations for category 1.

Siddaramaiah himself conceded this, stating that since the population would have changed over 10 years, the recommendations would also have to be “reexamined.”

Setback for Siddu?

Given the vehement opposition to the report by the dominant, landowning Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities as “unscientific” and “outdated,” the Cabinet’s decision is being politically articulated as a setback for Siddaramaiah – a Kuruba and a champion of backward classes, who has been a vocal proponent of the report.

Conversely, it’s seen as a political victory for Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar – a Vokkaliga and one of the signatories to a petition to the chief minister from the Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha to junk the report.

Siddaramaiah didn’t fully agree that the decision was directed by the Congress High Command on June 10.

“The High Command has also given its suggestion but we haven’t just done it because they said. It has been done as per the law. We haven’t backed down before the High Command.

Speaking to a news agency later, Shivakumar said: “High Command has advised us and there’s nothing wrong in that. It’s a party with a national agenda and we want the backward classes to be protected more. Since the survey was conducted in 2015, we will relook this. This is a decision to help the backward classes.”

The 1995 Act mandates the government to consult the state backward classes commission before taking its decision. Siddaramaiah explained that the commission - now chaired by former advocate general Madhusudhan R Naik – will be consulted on the matter. “Commission members haven’t yet been appointed. We will do it in 2-3 days.”

Seeking to allay fears that the exercise would be completed in 90 days, Siddaramaiah cited the example of Telangana – another Congress-ruled state – which completed the exercise in 70 days.

With the Union government deciding to enumerate castes in the upcoming decadal census, expected to be completed before March 2027, Siddaramaiah explained that the two exercises were different.

"Despite the Congress repeatedly asking the Centre, they have still not specified whether the enumeration will be a social and educational survey. That’s why we are doing it here.”