Karnataka cabinet has postponed the final decision on the contentious Social and Educational Survey — popularly known as the caste census — following objections from several ministers belonging to the influential Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities.
Briefing the media after the meeting, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil said the Cabinet held detailed discussions on the survey but could not reach a conclusion. The next Cabinet meeting, scheduled for April 24 at Male Mahadeshwara Hills in Chamarajanagar, will address other subjects, Patil added. However, the decision on the contentious report is likely to be taken on May 2, according to reports.
April 18 meeting saw tense moments, with some ministers expressing strong reservations about the 2015 caste survey report. Ministers from both the Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities, which wield significant political influence in the state, reportedly opposed the findings.
Earlier this week, veteran Congress leader and All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha president Shamnur Shivashankarappa had cautioned the party against alienating the two dominant communities. His son, Mining Minister S.S. Mallikarjun, was among those who reportedly labelled the caste census report “unacceptable.”
A report in the Deccan Herald cites sources saying that Karnataka Sugar Minister Shivanand Patil reminded the Cabinet of the political fallout during the 2018 Assembly elections over the separate Lingayat religion issue. He reportedly advised caution in moving forward with the report.
The DH report also quotes a Lingayat minister saying that the caste census report is outdated, having been compiled nearly a decade ago. “In 2015, the demand for a separate Lingayat religion and the lack of clarity on internal reservations led to confusion, with many Lingayats listing themselves under different sub-castes,” the minister said.
Concerns were also raised about the underrepresentation of certain Lingayat sub-groups, such as Sadar and Reddy Lingayats. “The report counts only 50,000 Reddy-Lingayats in Yadgir, which is hard to believe,” the minister added.
The report also cites sources claiming that the Vokkaliga ministers were also reportedly dissatisfied. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar is said to have personally voiced concerns to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ahead of the Cabinet meeting.
When some ministers called the survey “unscientific,” Siddaramaiah directed them to submit their objections in writing. A few suggested that citizens left out in 2015 be allowed to self-enumerate, on the lines of the Election Commission’s voter enrollment process.
