CM Siddaramaiah sandwiched as anti-caste survey agitation brews in Karnataka
BENGALURU: Congress's decision to undertake a new caste survey in Karnataka has left the Siddaramaiah government sandwiched between a section of backward classes apprehensive of losing their purported advantage of numbers in the Kantharaj Commission's report and dominant communities like Lingayats and Vokkaligas that seek re-enumeration.
This growing divergence over the upcoming "socio-economic and educational survey" comes days after CM Siddaramaiah's seemingly reluctant acceptance of what he said was the Congress brass's call rather than his government's.
Some OBC representatives have been urging the state government to implement the recommendations of the original caste survey report, submitted by the Karnataka State Commission for Backwards Classes last year.
Data collated by the Kantharaj Commission is said to favour OBCs, especially communities like the Kurubas that were classified under a separate 1-B category with 12% reservation. The report also proposes doubling the reservation for Muslims from 4% to 8%, which some still deem insufficient. The Shoshitha Vargagala Maha Okkota, which represents "oppressed" OBCs, backwards classes and minorities, has threatened a statewide agitation against the proposed new census.
by Taboola
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K Ramachadrappa, its president and former head of Karnataka Pradesha Kurubara Sangha, questioned the rationale for allegedly discarding Kantharaj Commission report after spending Rs 168 crore on the previous survey.
"Govt claims the survey must be conducted once every 10 years, but that is irrelevant since the Kantharaj report was never implemented," he said. "Our demand is to implement its recommendations. We will meet on June 20 to decide the modalities for our agitation."
In contrast, the Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities, both of which had opposed the Kantharaj report, are planning an outreach and an online survey, respectively, to "complement" the survey. B Kenchappa Gowda, president of Vokkaligara Sangha, confirmed his community's plan.
Sources said the official notification for the survey could be issued next Thursday, coinciding with Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi's birthday.
Rahul, who presided over the meeting in Delhi last week where the Congress brass asked Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar to prepare for re-enumeration, is a proponent of "social justice through caste-based surveys".
"Procedure will be followed. We are considering suggestions on the survey's modalities and schedule. I will consult CM Siddaramaiah, and an order will be issued soon based on his directive," state backwards classes welfare minister Shivaraj Tangadagi said.
The cabinet has fixed a 90-day timeline to complete the exercise. Madhusudan R Naik, chairperson of BC commission, said preliminary work had already started.
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