Karnataka: Cabinet discussion on caste survey inconclusive, second time in 2 weeks
The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday held another round of discussions on the Social and Educational Survey report, commonly referred to as the caste census, but once again stopped short of reaching a decision, with Law and Parliamentary Affairs minister HK Patil confirming that the deliberation remained 'incomplete'.
Most ministers have submitted their written responses to chief minister Siddaramaiah, while a few are yet to do so. 'The cabinet today once again discussed the Social and Educational Survey report, the discussion was incomplete. The chief minister had earlier asked the cabinet ministers to give their opinion in writing and most of the ministers' opinions have reached the Chief Minister except three or four,' Patil told reporters after the meeting.
'The subject will be discussed in the next cabinet meeting or the one after that, after getting certain details and studying them,' he added.
The Thursday's meeting marks the latest in a series of delays by the Congress-led government in deciding on the caste census report. The meeting on May 10 was also inconclusive, with ministers receiving additional data, including population statistics broken down by taluks and districts, prompting calls for a more detailed review.
The cabinet convened a special meeting on April 17 exclusively to debate the report, but it too ended without a resolution. At that time, some ministers reportedly raised concerns about the methodology and accuracy of the survey, labelling it as unscientific and outdated, and pointing to possible undercounting. These concerns led Siddaramaiah to request written feedback from each minister.
Criticism of the survey has intensified in recent weeks, particularly from influential community groups. The Vokkaligas and Veerashaiva-Lingayats, Karnataka's two dominant communities, have strongly objected to the findings, demanding that the report be scrapped and a fresh survey conducted.
The groundwork for the caste census was laid during Siddaramaiah's initial tenure as chief minister, involving an extensive 2015 survey costing ₹162 crore. Although Siddaramaiah announced his acceptance of the report in June, its contents and release date remain undisclosed.
The leaked data indicated that Scheduled Castes (SCs) accounted for 19.5% of the state's total population, followed by Muslims at 16%. Lingayats and Vokkaligas represented 14% and 11% of the population, respectively. Within the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), the Kuruba community alone comprised 7% of Karnataka's population, contributing to the OBCs' overall representation of 20% in the state.
Collectively, these groups, including SCs, STs, Muslims, and Kurubas, formed a substantial portion of the population at 47.5%. The political implications of these findings could significantly impact the state's political landscape, according to federations of marginalised sections.
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