OBC, Dalit pontiffs ask CM to accept caste census

A federation of pontiffs representing backward and Dalit mutts met Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday and petitioned him to accept the findings of the Socio-Economic & Educational Survey, popularly known as caste census. Siddaramaiah said his government will decide based on legal opinion.

The pontiffs' delegation included Siddarameshwara Swami from the Bhovi community, Valmiki Prasannanandapuri Swami, Kaginele Mahasamsthana’s Kanaka Gurupeeta Niranjananandapuri, and others. After Bihar released its caste census data, triggering a political earthquake, pressure is mounting on Siddaramaiah to make public the findings of a similar exercise that he commissioned during his first term in office.

The caste census was carried out between April 11 and May 30 2015 when H Kantharaj was the chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes. The government spent Rs 164.84 crore on this. The findings are with the Commission. The dominant Vokkaligas and Lingayats have asked Siddaramaiah not to release the findings because the survey was not done scientifically.

They have urged him to commission a fresh survey. According to a statement from the chief minister’s office, Siddaramaiah informed the delegation that the government has given the Commission time until January 31 to submit the report. “Commission chairperson Jayaprakash Hegde has said that Kantharaj’s report can’t be submitted verbatim. We will take the next steps after obtaining legal opinion,” Siddaramaiah said.

In the petition, the pontiffs berated former chief ministers HD Kumaraswamy, BS Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai for sitting on the report when they were in office. During the discussion, the pontiffs told Siddaramaiah that the guarantees had benefitted the working classes, according to the statement. The pontiffs also sought land for mutts. Tahsildars have been asked to submit a report, the statement said, adding that Siddaramaiah made a phone call to the Bengaluru Rural deputy commissioner and sought early action.