Will release caste census report if Cong voted to power: Siddaramaiah

The report will help governments to formulate welfare programmes based on the population of various castes, he said

Congress leader Siddaramaiah said that caste census report will be released if the party returned to power after the 2023 elections.

Speaking at a convention of Ganiga community, he said that socio-economic census report was essential to learn the status of various castes in the state, as the last such census was carried out in 1931.

“Whenever the issue of reservation was taken up by the courts, it used to question us about the documents that reflected the population of various castes in the state. It is for this a socio-economic and educational census was commissioned during my tenure as CM,” he said.

The report will help governments to formulate welfare programmes based on the population of various castes. “The report was not complete when I was CM, but is ready now. However, the current administration does not appear to be keen to accept the report. We will accept the report if we return to power,” he said.

He also lashed out at the BJP for being ‘anti-reservation’, saying that BJP leader Rama Jois had challenged an order providing reservation to backward classes and women in the Supreme Court. The petition, Siddaramaiah, said was struck down by the court.

Read | Why was Siddaramaiah not ready to accept caste census report when he was CM? asks Shettar

Why is BJP afraid, asks DKS

Amidst claims and counter-claims of BJP MLAs joining Congress and vice versa, KPCC president D K Shivakumar asked whether BJP was afraid of the developments.

He was responding to Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa’s claims that Congress leaders were going ‘mad’ as many Congress MLAs would desert the party soon.

“I am ready to get admitted to the asylum as soon as Eshwarappa readies a bed. But, wasn’t it a former minister who claimed that five Congress MLAs would join BJP in 24 hours. Kateel (BJP state president Nalin Kumar) said that 20 Congress MLAs are in queue to leave the party. Have we ever named any MLA who is willing to join us? We are doing our politics. Why is BJP afraid?” he said.

Shivakumar added that unlike BJP and JD(S), which provided representation only to Lingayats and Vokkaligas, Congress had provided political leadership and representation for all communities.