Caste census report likely to be presented in K'taka cabinet meeting today

Sources have confirmed that the report, in sealed boxes, was moved to the hall at Vidhana Soudha, and the summary of the report in a sealed cover will be opened during the cabinet meeting.

The Congress-led government has also decided to appoint a cabinet sub-committee to review the recommendations of the caste census report, sources added.

Sources stated that Muslims have been projected as the second-largest population group after SCs/STs in the census report.

The opposition parties, the BJP and JD(S), have opposed the implementation of the report. Major caste groups, such as the Lingayats and Vokkaligas, have alleged that the report has done injustice to them in terms of their population representation.

When asked about the development, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar told the media on Friday that neither he nor Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had seen the caste census report. "Even the ministers have not seen it. Once the report is submitted, a decision will be taken after discussions. This is not a matter to be discussed with the media," he said.

Meanwhile, confirming the development, PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi, speaking at Vidhana Soudha on Friday, said the 'mahurta (auspicious time)' had finally been fixed for the presentation of the caste census report. "Let the final report come out -- until then, we have to wait. The government should facilitate open discussion on the caste census. The matter should be brought before the House, and everyone should debate it," he added.

Commenting on the development, Minister for RDPR, IT, and BT Priyank Kharge stated that it is not strictly a caste census report, as it is commonly referred to. "It is a socio-economic survey. If the report is not presented, how can there be any discussion about it? Let it first be presented before the cabinet," he said.

"Once the report is presented, it will be compared with other data available to the government. The findings of the report should be matched with the existing government data. The Justice H.N. Nagamohan Das Commission, which was set up to examine internal reservations, has recommended a resurvey. Similarly, there should be an open and transparent process regarding the caste census," Priyank Kharge added.

Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy stated that he had no information about the caste census report being presented in the cabinet meeting. "I have only heard that it might be presented. Once the report is brought before the cabinet, it will enter the public domain. Only then can we offer our comments and evaluate its pros and cons. The caste census was conducted by our Congress government," he said.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on February 18, declared that the caste census was conducted scientifically and that his government will implement its report without any doubt. "Our government supports the caste census. We have accepted the caste census report and will certainly implement it in the coming days. There is no need for any doubt regarding this," he assured.

Karnataka BJP has accused CM Siddaramaiah of using the caste census as a political weapon whenever pressure on him within his party builds for him to resign from the Chief Minister post.

"It has become a political weapon in his hands. Whenever his seat is unsafe, he ensures that the debate on the caste census report comes to the forefront. No one has asked for the caste census. Siddaramaiah is repeatedly deferring the presentation of the caste census report before the Cabinet," said BJP state chief B.Y. Vijayendra earlier.

In 2014, Siddaramaiah (during his first tenure as the Chief Minister) ordered the Karnataka Socio-Economic and Educational Census.

A committee headed by the then Backward Classes Commission H. Kantharaju did the survey at a cost of around Rs 169 crore. The report was ready by 2016; it was, however, put in cold storage by subsequent governments. The Congress and JD(S) coalition government headed by H.D. Kumaraswamy and the BJP government headed by B.S. Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai also kept the report pending.

In 2020, the state's BJP government appointed Jayaprakash Hegde as the Commission chief, but the report was not made public. Hegde submitted the final report to the Siddaramaiah government on February 29, 2024.