Vokkaliga Sangha warns of legal fight on caste census report

Bengaluru: The Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha on Tuesday adopted a unanimous resolution to launch a legal and political battle should the state Cabinet, which is holding a special meeting on Thursday, decides to implement the ‘unscientific and outdated’ caste census report.

Interacting with journalists in Bengaluru after a special executive committee meeting of the sangha, its president B Kenchappa Gowda urged Vokkaliga MLAs in the Congress to resign if the state Cabinet decides to implement the caste census report.

Gowda said, “When MLAs want party tickets, they use the name of our community. Now, when the same community is being betrayed, it becomes their duty to resign and join our fight. The community will stand by all MLAs who resign and ensure their victory in the future.”

Gowda said that the sangha would join forces with Brahmins, Lingayats, and other communities that feel shortchanged by the findings of the caste census report. “After the special Cabinet meeting, we will meet leaders of other communities, and decide on giving a call for Karnataka bandh,” he said.

He said that the Kantharaju-led commission report had listed Vokkaligas as the sixth most populous community in the state. Conceding that the community did not have a presence across 224 Assembly constituencies, Gowda, however, added that Vokkaligas were a dominant group in 60 segments. “In each of these 60 seats, there are more than 60,000 Vokkaliga voters,” he said.

He warned the state government of a protest led by leaders of respective communities, and seers, and not by political leaders.

The Sangha urged the government to leverage new technologies such as geo-tagging, and Aadhaar card linkage, which could ensure an error-free survey.

Former Chief Minister and BJP leader D V Sadananda Gowda said that any reduction in the population of a community, and inflating numbers of others was unacceptable.

“If Siddaramaiah thinks he can control the Vokkaliga community by reducing our numbers, he is counting his last days in power,” the former CM warned.