Lingayat, Vokkaliga functionaries push to scrap state caste census, back Centre's count
Bengaluru: With the Centre announcing a
national caste census
, Karnataka's politically influential Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities are mounting pressure on the Siddaramaiah govt to scrap the contentious
state caste census
. They are also preparing cadres to ensure better enumeration in the central exercise.
The communities have expressed dissatisfaction with the socio-economic and educational survey — commonly called the caste census — commissioned by the Siddaramaiah govt in 2015. They allege that their populations have been significantly undercounted, which could directly affect their share of reservation.
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Six Lingayat ministers — Eshwar Khandre, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, SS Mallikarjun, Sharan Prakash Patil, Shivanand Patil, and Sharanabasappa Darshanpur — met last week to prepare for Friday's (May 9) cabinet meeting, where they plan to raise concerns about the
census findings
.
The caste census report remains with the state govt. A special cabinet meeting called on April 17 ended without a decision. A second meeting was postponed twice, with the latest now set for Friday. With the Centre's census now in play, officials say the upcoming session would be a regular cabinet meeting, although the caste census will be on the agenda.
"The caste census report would also be discussed along with the other issues on the agenda," said HK Patil, law and parliamentary affairs minister. "While there is no dispute about the socio-economic-educational aspect of the report, some communities have expressed concerns about the size of their population. These aspects would be discussed with the intention of ensuring justice for all communities."
Tensions have escalated after senior Lingayat representative and Shamanur Shivashankarappa, also Davanagere South MLA, criticised his own party's govt. "Lingayats are hoping to get justice from the central census as the state census had projected their population around 65 lakh when in reality it's more than 2 crore," he said. However, Siddaramaiah has held firm, stating he will use the state caste census findings to frame the next state budget.
Forest minister Khandre said: "We have taken note of all these developments that took place after the Centre announced the national caste census. We Lingayat ministers met last week and discussed the issue. We are committed to safeguarding the interest of our community. We will air our views in the cabinet meeting."
Lingayat functionaries also plan to urge their community to list themselves as 'Veerashaiva-Lingayat' in the central census, though a section prefers dropping the 'Veerashaiva' prefix.
Vokkaliga representatives are following suit. The Vokkaligara Sangha has engaged experts to guide its community through the central census process. "We want the state caste census scrapped... We will plan an awareness programme on the central census," said B Kenchappa Gowda, president, Vokkaligara Sangha.
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