Bengaluru: Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission Chairman K. Jayaprakash Hegde submitted the ‘Caste Census’ report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday. There are reports of objections regarding the census from some sections of the society and within the ruling Congress. Many Congress members were seen divided on this issue, which has sparked debate in the party.
However, after receiving the report, CM Siddaramaiah told reporters, ‘We do not know what is in the report. The government has received the report, it will be placed before the cabinet and there it will be discussed and a decision will be taken. At the same time, Hegde said that this report was prepared on the basis of data collected by 1.60 lakh officers including 1.33 lakh teachers under the leadership of the respective Deputy Commissioners of the districts across the state in 2014-15.
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Hegde said, ‘We have prepared a report and submitted it to the government, and I have heard him (Chief Minister) saying that he will present it before the Cabinet next time.’ At the same time, Vokkaliyaga and Lingayat, two major communities of Karnataka, have rejected the survey, calling it ‘unscientific’ and are demanding its re-conduct, although Hegde rejected these claims that it is unscientific.
He said, ‘Who has read it (report) to call it unscientific… There are claims about leaks, how? Even if one or two things are leaked, the entire report cannot be leaked. My question is, how can the report be called unscientific without reading it completely?’
When asked about some ministers making such claims, he said, ‘You will have to ask them about it.’ Backward Class Development Minister Shivraj S Tangadgi said, there is no question of any dissatisfaction (in the government) regarding the report. He asked, ‘Nobody has seen the report, how can there be objection without seeing it.’
However, some Congress ministers and MLAs from the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community have expressed their apprehensions. Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar said, many houses were not visited during the survey. Veerashaiva-Lingayats also have 103 subcastes, and people have noted their castes separately during surveys, hence, a new scientific survey is requested.
Minister MB Patil said it is true that there is apprehension regarding the caste census, especially among the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community, as many of them have given the names of their sub-castes during the survey, and the community demands that all sub- The castes should be called ‘Veerashaiva-Lingayat’.
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FIRST PUBLISHED: February 29, 2024, 20:38 IST