Bengaluru:
A special cabinet meeting that was convened to discuss the contentious Social and Educational Survey report, popularly known as ‘caste census’ in Karnataka, on Thursday was inconclusive, and ended without any major decision.
The meeting discussed the parameters used for the survey and sought for more information and technical details from senior officials.
The cabinet will once again discuss the survey report on May 2 and decide on it.
“The cabinet has discussed the report in detail and as it was felt that more information and technical details were required for discussion. So, senior officials have been asked to provide it. The discussion today was incomplete,” Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said.
Briefing reporters, he said that the discussions happened in a cordial atmosphere, and several matters like population, backwardness, the parameters that were used during the social and educational survey, the economic parameters that were considered, were all discussed to an extent.
As discussions were incomplete, it will be discussed once again. “As the next cabinet meeting will be held in MM Hills in Chamarajanagar district with focus on developmental issues of the region, it has been decided to discuss this matter once again in the cabinet that will be held on May 2, and make a final decision,” he added.
Soon after the meeting ended, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, speaking to reporters, said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had asked ministers to give their opinion in writing or verbally before the next cabinet meeting.
Though there were reports that a couple of ministers spoke in an “upset tone” during the discussion on the survey report, expressing their reservation about it, this was not confirmed by other ministers present in the cabinet meeting. They maintained that the meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere.
Various communities, especially Karnataka’s two dominant ones — Vokkaligas and Veershaiva-Lingayats — have expressed strong reservations about the survey that has been done, calling it “unscientific”, and have demanded that it be rejected, and a fresh survey be conducted.
Objections have also been raised by various sections of society, and there are also strong voices against it from within the ruling Congress.
However, not everyone is opposed. Leaders and organisations representing Dalits and OBCs among others, are in support of it, and want the government to make the survey report public and proceed with it, stating the government has spent about Rs 160 crore public money on it.
With strong disapproval from the two politically influential communities, the survey report may turn out to be a political hot potato for the government, as it may set the stage for a confrontation, with Dalits and OBCs among others demanding for it to be made public and implemented.
Responding to a question, was there any discussion regarding pros and cons of the survey report at the cabinet, Mr Patil said, “nothing like that….Parameters used for the survey like the person’s source of income, whether he or she is owning cattles — such things came up for discussion. Some senior ministers gave their guidance on certain matters and sought for some details.” “Details will be provided by officials in the next cabinet. It will be discussed in the next cabinet and decided,” he said.
To a question whether there was discussion on the contentious issues of population strength of various communities, the Law Minister said the misinterpretations that are going on regarding the population are not completely true and it has already been clarified. “94.17 per cent of the population was surveyed.” Asked if anyone disputed about the Vokkaliga and Veerashaiva-Lingayat population mentioned in the survey, he said that matter did not come up for discussion today.
Findings of the survey is said to be contrary to the “traditional perception” with regard to the numerical strength of various castes, especially the dominant Veerashaiva-Lingayats and Vokkaligas, making it a politically sticky issue.
According to sources, ministers from these two communities are said to have placed their objections in this regard during the cabinet meeting.
Both Veershaiva-Lingayats and Vokkaligas, and also few other communities have alleged that their various sub castes have been divided among different categories of OBC, resulting in decrease in their respective population numbers. They have alleged that many households were left out from the survey or undercounting.
After a long wait, the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes’ report was placed before the cabinet for the first time on April 11.
The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government (2013-2018) had in 2015 commissioned the survey in the state.
The State Backward Classes Commission, under its then chairperson H 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, and the report was finalised by his successor K Jayaprakash Hegde in February 2024.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
