Karnataka government keen to release caste census despite opposition from dominant castes, indicates Home Minister G Parameshwara

The acceptance of the caste survey has, however, been opposed by the Vokkaligara Sangha and All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, which represents the 2 ascendant caste groups successful the authorities – Vokkaligas and Lingayats.

In fact, the Veerashaiva Mahasabha has passed a caller solution astatine its gathering this week to reason the caste census study gathered by the Congress government.

“The main curate has already said that helium volition beryllium placing it (caste census report) earlier the cabinet. In the adjacent furniture gathering it volition beryllium taken up and discussed and each its merits and demerits volition beryllium considered, the CM has stated,” Parameshwara said Tuesday.

The adjacent furniture gathering of the Congress authorities is scheduled connected October 28. However, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah has indicated that the predetermination codification of behaviour that is successful spot connected relationship of the bypolls to the 3 Assembly seats successful the authorities connected November 13 would restrain the authorities from taking up caste related argumentation issues till the extremity of the codification of conduct.

“As per these statements, I americium assuming that the caste census study whitethorn travel up earlier the adjacent furniture meeting. We volition sermon it. The survey has been done astatine an expenditure of Rs 160 crore. If we bash not spot the study earlier the people, the expenditure volition spell for a waste. As a result, we person to spot the findings earlier the people,” the Home curate said.

Parameshwara, who hails from the Dalit community, suggested that the determination to marque the study nationalist would beryllium abstracted from a determination to instrumentality the findings of the study – which is being opposed by ascendant caste groups who fearfulness that authorities policies volition beryllium skewed against them if the caste census throws up little numbers for their communities.

“The contented of implementing the study is abstracted from making the study public. The archetypal measurement is to spot the study earlier the public. The decisions to instrumentality policies based connected the study volition beryllium astatine a aboriginal date. There is nary request for anyone to beryllium agitated,” helium said.

The Home curate besides said that the caste census study could propulsion airy connected disparities wrong Scheduled Caste groups and facilitate the implementation of interior quotas for Scheduled Castes which has been cleared by the Supreme Court.

Veerashaiva (Lingayat) Mahasabha president Shamanur Shivashankarappa, who is besides a Congress MLA, had this week said, “We are not against caste census, but the Kantharaj Commission study is filled with respective contradictions and flaws. A caller census should beryllium conducted.”

On October 7, a delegation of legislators from the OBC communities met main curate Siddaramaiah to request the implementation of a Karnataka Socio-economic and Educational Census oregon caste survey which is yet to beryllium accepted by the authorities aft the Backward Classes Commission submitted the survey successful February this year.

“The archetypal of its benignant survey was taken up successful Karnataka during our tenure successful 2014 and it volition beryllium discussed successful the Cabinet,” Siddaramaiah, an OBC leader, had said aft the October 7 meeting.

“The Congress enactment has the capableness to woody with the caste related challenges successful the state. Siddaramaiah is susceptible of doing it. There is simply a Supreme Court bid which says that the preservation percent indispensable not spell implicit 50 per cent. In immoderate states it has gone up to 60 per cent. In Tamil Nadu, determination is 69 per cent reservation, which is legally protected done the inclusion successful the ninth docket of the constitution,” Parameshwar said.

“In our authorities antithetic communities are asking for reservations and if we person to conscionable their demands, we would person to transverse the 50 per cent mark. Discussions are going connected and successful Karnataka besides the reservations could transcend 50 per cent if necessary,” helium said.