Deve Gowda slams Siddaramaiah for inaction on caste census
Bengaluru, May 6 (UNI) Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) patriarch HD Deve Gowda on Tuesday came down heavily on Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, accusing him of "political hypocrisy" and inaction over the caste census during his earlier term.
Taking strong exception to the Congress government's renewed push for a caste census, Gowda said Siddaramaiah had 16 budgets to act but "did nothing" despite claiming to be a champion of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
"The Chief Minister calls himself a hero of SCs and STs. Let him first explain what action he took when he had the opportunity. His own ministers failed to defend him," the JD(S) supremo told reporters.
He criticised the Congress leader for "sitting on" the Kantharaju Commission and Nagmohandas Committee reports. "Now Siddaramaiah wants to teach the Prime Minister and the Home Minister about social justice? First, let him declare how many backward class members are in his own office," he added.
Affirming JD(S)'s support to the Union government's caste-based enumeration, the former Prime Minister said, "We trust the Prime Minister and the Home Ministry. No community will face injustice. The Centre is handling this with due diligence and our party stands by its decision."
Deve Gowda also said that JD(S) leaders, including HD Kumaraswamy and Nikhil Kumaraswamy, were united in supporting the central initiative. "States like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana may adopt their own paths, but the Centre is proceeding in a structured way," he noted.
The Karnataka government on Monday began a comprehensive caste census among SC communities to collect sub-caste-wise demographic data. The survey will be held from May 5 to 17 in three phases, with oversight from retired High Court Judge Nagamohan Das.
Siddaramaiah, defending the exercise, said it aims to enable internal reservation and correct historical imbalances. Over 65,000 teachers have been appointed as enumerators for the exercise, which also includes online self-declaration and data verification camps.
The move follows an August 2024 Supreme Court order allowing states to introduce internal quotas for SCs based on empirical data.
The final report is expected within 60 days of completion of the field work.
UNI BDN CS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
After SC nod, administration beginsland survey for Banke Bihari corridor
Agra: The local administration in Mathura has started a land survey for the proposed Banke Bihari corridor on Monday, after the Supreme Court's approval. The move comes amid ongoing protests by local residents, including the Goswami community, whose members are considered the temple's 'sevayats' -- hereditary priests who manage daily rituals and other temple affairs. Banke Bihari is regarded as one of the most revered Krishna shrines in north India, attracting lakhs of pilgrims. Mathura district magistrate, CP Singh, said, "The Banke Bihari temple corridor project aims to offer people a safe and dignified 'darshan' experience of the deity. Govt has assured that the rights and traditions of the temple's 'sevayats' will remain untouched, with the state focusing only on development of the external infrastructure. The proposed corridor will resolve long-standing issues of overcrowding and stampedes. It will also offer facilities like clean drinking water, toilets, rest areas, medical centres and lockers." The land survey was conducted by a four-member team who inspected the area around the temple complex. Sources within the local administration told TOI that to ensure minimal inconvenience for local residents, an active search is underway for possible resettlement spots within Vrindavan. On May 15, the SC bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and SC Sharma permitted the state govt to proceed with a 'Rs 500 crore redevelopment plan', which entails acquiring almost five acres of land, using temple funds. The SC ruling came amid protests from the Goswami community and local residents, who have opposed both the corridor project and establishment of the Banke Bihari Temple Trust. Gyanendra Kishor Goswami, a member of the temple management, said, "The proposed corridor and Banke Bihari Trust would destroy the temple's original and ancient form. Govt has adopted a dictatorial attitude towards our demands. Our protest will continue." The move to redevelop the place came up after a stampede-like incident on Janmashtami in 2022, that claimed two lives. In Sept 2023, Allahabad HC instructed the state govt to implement a corridor plan for improved crowd management and safety. Officials claimed that all the stakeholders were consulted, but 'sevayats' and local residents alleged they were excluded from the planning process. Agra: The local administration in Mathura has started a land survey for the proposed Banke Bihari corridor on Monday, after the Supreme Court's approval. The move comes amid ongoing protests by local residents, including the Goswami community, whose members are considered the temple's 'sevayats' -- hereditary priests who manage daily rituals and other temple affairs. Banke Bihari is regarded as one of the most revered Krishna shrines in north India, attracting lakhs of pilgrims. Mathura district magistrate, CP Singh, said, "The Banke Bihari temple corridor project aims to offer people a safe and dignified 'darshan' experience of the deity. Govt has assured that the rights and traditions of the temple's 'sevayats' will remain untouched, with the state focusing only on development of the external infrastructure. The proposed corridor will resolve long-standing issues of overcrowding and stampedes. It will also offer facilities like clean drinking water, toilets, rest areas, medical centres and lockers." The land survey was conducted by a four-member team who inspected the area around the temple complex. Sources within the local administration told TOI that to ensure minimal inconvenience for local residents, an active search is underway for possible resettlement spots within Vrindavan. On May 15, the SC bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and SC Sharma permitted the state govt to proceed with a 'Rs 500 crore redevelopment plan', which entails acquiring almost five acres of land, using temple funds. The SC ruling came amid protests from the Goswami community and local residents, who have opposed both the corridor project and establishment of the Banke Bihari Temple Trust. Gyanendra Kishor Goswami, a member of the temple management, said, "The proposed corridor and Banke Bihari Trust would destroy the temple's original and ancient form. Govt has adopted a dictatorial attitude towards our demands. Our protest will continue." The move to redevelop the place came up after a stampede-like incident on Janmashtami in 2022, that claimed two lives. In Sept 2023, Allahabad HC instructed the state govt to implement a corridor plan for improved crowd management and safety. Officials claimed that all the stakeholders were consulted, but 'sevayats' and local residents alleged they were excluded from the planning process.
Mint
22 minutes ago
- Mint
TSX falls as tech shares weigh; eyes on US-China trade talks
June 9 - Canada's main stock index fell on Monday, dragged by technology shares, as investors cautiously monitored a fresh round of U.S.-China trade talks aimed at easing tensions between the world's largest economies. The S&P/TSX composite index was down 0.3% at 26,346.82 points, coming off its record high close on Friday. All eyes are on the high-stakes talks in London, where top U.S. and Chinese officials are meeting to defuse tensions that recently expanded beyond tariffs to export controls over goods and components critical to global supply chains. "I would say there is an undercurrent of caution," said Brian Madden, chief investment officer and portfolio manager at First Avenue Investment Counsel. "There's lots of sort of arm waving about trade phone calls, but trade deals take a long time to negotiate, so I don't think anyone is expecting a miracle here in the short term between the U.S. and China". The discussions follow a rare call last week between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday Canada's Liberal government will pour extra billions into its armed forces and hit NATO's 2% military spending target this fiscal year, five years earlier than promised. Jet maker Bombardier and aviation simulation and training company CAE gained 2.7% and 0.8%, respectively. The broader industrial sector, however, fell 0.5%. Information and technology shares were leading the losses on the TSX, with enterprise software solutions provider Enghouse Systems falling 2.4% as brokerage CIBC cut the price target on the stock. Heavyweight materials sector was trading in green with 0.2% gains as gold and silver prices rose in the day. Among other stocks, uranium supplier Cameco jumped 9.6% to the top of the benchmark index after a number of analysts raised the stock's price target. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
The Hindu
35 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Modi government weakened autonomy of constitutional institutions in past 11 years: Congress
The past 11 years of the Narendra Modi government has dealt a deep blow to the country's social fabric, democracy and economy, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Monday (June 9, 2025). In a post on X, Mr. Kharge alleged, 'The Modi government has wasted the last 11 years in smearing the ink of dictatorship on every page of the Constitution'. 'The BJP-RSS has weakened every constitutional institution and attacked their autonomy,' he added. The Congress chief accused the Modi government of 'stealing people's mandate, toppling governments through the back door, imposing one-party dictatorship and weakening the federal structure'. 'Efforts are constantly being made to spread an environment of hatred, threats and fear,' he added. Mr. Kharge said the exploitation of Dalits, tribals, backwards, minority and weaker sections has increased continuously, Manipur is witnessing unending violence, and the BJP-RSS has made it a habit to keep the country's GDP growth rate at 5-6% from the average of 8% growth. Growing inequality, unemployment, inflation had been the fallout of wrong policies such as demonetisation, wrong GST and unplanned lockdown that affected the unorganised sector, the Congress chief said.. He added that programmes like Make in India, Startup India, Stand up India, Digital India, Namami Gange, and 100 SMART cities had all failed. 'Railways have been ruined. Only the ribbons of the infrastructure painstakingly built by the Congress-UPA have been cut,' Mr. Kharge claimed. Senior leader Rahul Gandhi pointed out how several people lost their lives in an overcrowded local train in Mumbai when the government was busy celebrating its third term. '11 years of Modi government = no accountability, no change, only propaganda. The government has stopped talking about 2025 and is now selling dreams of 2047,' Mr. Gandhi said in a post on X. Congress communication chief Jairam Ramesh questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi doesn't hold press conferences. 'Celebrating 11 years but still the Prime Minister remains 'nau do gyarah' from an unscripted and pre-scheduled press conference. Bharat Mandapam is waiting for him,' Mr. Ramesh said, using a Hindi idiom. At a press conference, Rajeev Gowda, who heads the party's research wing, along with spokesperson Mahima Singh, released two booklets, countering the government claims of its achievements. 'The one thing this government has been good at is propaganda and fake news. They are number one in that. It is our job as a responsible Opposition to make sure that the people of India know the grim reality,' Mr. Gowda said.
