K'taka: Vokkaligas to oppose caste census report

Speaking to the media on Tuesday in Bengaluru, Kenchappa Gowda, the state President of the Vokkaliga community, stated that if the caste census report is implemented, the Vokkaliga community will face injustice.

"We will launch a joint struggle along with other aggrieved communities. We will fight in unity with the Lingayats," he announced.

"The struggle will be carried out across the state. Farmers, businessmen, and officers will take to the streets. People are deeply disappointed. We had earlier submitted a representation to the Chief Minister regarding the caste census report. All ministers from the Vokkaliga community, including Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, had signed that submission," Gowda stated.

He further added that Shivakumar is not opposing the census report now because he is part of the government.

"We have confidence that he will oppose the report in the Cabinet," Gowda said.

Elaborating on the nature of the protest, Gowda stated that Karnataka has witnessed the impact when the Vokkaliga community protests with full force. He warned that the government might even collapse as a result.

The state government is preparing to implement the H. Kantharaju Commission report. However, Gowda criticised the findings as inappropriate, pointing out that the report was released after 10 years and estimates the population of the Vokkaliga community to be only 60 lakh.

"We have seen population surveys conducted in each taluk during elections. Caste-wise data can provide accurate statistics on the population of various communities. Are there only 60 to 61 lakh Vokkaligas in all 224 assembly constituencies?" Gowda said.

He added that the Vokkaliga community has been shown in the sixth position in terms of population, which he alleged was done to increase reservation benefits for other communities.

"We will launch a joint struggle with other communities. The Vokkaliga Association strongly opposes the caste census report," he said.

Nelligere Babu, Director of the Vokkaligara Sangha, also stated that if the report is implemented, the Congress-led government in Karnataka will collapse.

Responding to these developments, Shivakumar said that he will attend the special Cabinet meeting as a representative of the community.

Commenting on the idea of organising a meeting of Vokkaliga MLAs, he said the opinions of community leaders and ministers would be taken into consideration.

"I have to present the community's opinion in the cabinet meeting. I am not an expert. I come from a village background. I collect information and present my views in the Cabinet," Shivakumar said.

The caste census report submitted by the Backwards Classes Commission to the Congress-led government in Karnataka has pegged the Muslim population in the state at 18.08 per cent and recommends 8 per cent reservation for the community, sources stated.

The caste census report was submitted to the state cabinet on April 10, and the state government is convening a special Cabinet meeting on April 17 to decide on the report’s recommendations. However, no official statement has been issued to the media regarding the report’s contents. Nonetheless, details presented in the cabinet meeting have surfaced in the public domain.

As per sources, the report places the Muslim population under Category 2B at 18.08 per cent, with a total population of 75.25 lakh. The report recommends increasing their reservation from 4 per cent to 8 per cent. This is higher than the Vokkaliga community, which is currently considered the second-largest population group in the state. The Vokkaliga population is recorded at 61.68 lakh, comprising 10.31 per cent of the total. The report suggests increasing their reservation to 7 per cent, according to sources.

The census report lists the Lingayat community population at 66.35 lakh, comprising 11.09 per cent -- lower than the Muslim population. The report recommends increasing their reservation to 8 per cent. Currently, the Lingayat community is considered the largest in the state.

Furthermore, sources confirmed that the caste census report recommends increasing the total reservation to more than 75 per cent in Karnataka. The survey estimates the population of Other Backwards Classes (OBCs) at 4.18 crore, Scheduled Castes (SCs) at 1.09 crore, and Scheduled Tribes (STs) at 42.81 lakh.

According to sources, the report indicates that OBC groups constitute about 70 per cent of the state’s population.