Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said he would place the caste census report in the Cabinet soon and take steps to implement the recommendations, signaling his intent to revisit the politically sensitive subject the Congress had put on the backburner ahead of the Lok Sabha polls early this year.
The CM, in a post on X, said he would soon place the economic, social and educational report before the Cabinet and go ahead with the recommendations, reiterating his earlier announcement on Sunday. The Congress party too was keen on a pan India survey of the kind Karnataka commissioned.
Siddaramaiah seeking to revisit the subject at a time he has been in the news for all wrong reasons is being seen as politically shrewd. While the chief minister has all along favoured making contents of the 13-volume report public, the findings came under fire from top political figures from major communities including from Dy CM DK Shivakumar and Swami Nirmalananda, the head of an influential Vokkaliga mutt. They have openly opposed the ‘socio-economic survey’ report, submitted to the government in February, as flawed.The Congress regime put off a decision on the findings not wanting to displease voters from the Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities as it headed to one of the most crucial Lok Sabha polls for the party. Veerashaiva-Lingayats are Karnataka’s largest community, followed by Vokkaligas, and these caste groups have been worried of losing out on opportunities and political clout if the report were to reset the pecking order of caste groups.
Rahul Gandhi has been a vocal advocate of a nationwide caste census and campaigning for allocation of resources and opportunities to communities proportionate to their population and backwardness. “Our leader Rahul Gandhi has publicly, and in the Lok Sabha, declared that the Congress party is committed to increasing the reservation quota from the current 50% to 75%,” the CM said recently, throwing his weight behind his leader.
Siddaramaiah’s consistent comments on the subject swearing by the study already done in Karnataka may hit a raw nerve as the findings divided political leaders along community lines. It may well divert the attention from the ongoing probe into the alleged unlawful allotment of housing plots to CM’s wife, sparking a barrage of attacks. If handled well, Siddaramaiah may even be able to consolidate OBC groupings behind him, throwing a veiled challenge to detractors in his own party. The CM has repeatedly said he will not resign amid a rancour for his resignation from the Opposition BJP and from one lawmaker from within the Congress. If he can push the subject of caste census to the centrestage of debate, it may help him divert attention away from him and buy temporary peace.