Bengaluru: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has called a special cabinet meeting on April 17 to deliberate on the contentious caste census report, formally known as the Socioeconomic and Educational Survey, amid rising political stakes and community sensitivities.
Law and parliamentary affairs Minister H K Patil Friday said the report was presented to the cabinet Friday, prompting the decision to convene a dedicated session next week for further discussion.
“The caste census was placed before the cabinet Friday. As there are a few recommendations, some ministers have said they need to examine those recommendations. After thorough revision, we’ll discuss it again in the cabinet next Thursday and take a decision,” Siddaramaiah said after the meeting.
Backward Classes minister Shivaraj Tangadgi said the eight-volume report, sealed in two boxes, was submitted to the state govt by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes (BC Commission) in Feb last year. It has now been circulated among ministers for study.
“The govt is aware of the concerns of some communities and the decision to have a detailed deliberation on was taken with a good intention to address all those concerns. Nobody should speculate without studying the report,” Tangadgi said.
He added that the survey, conducted under the commission’s purview, covered 5.9 crore people — about 94.1% of the estimated 6.3 crore population in 2015. “While the state population was 6.1 crore as per the 2011 census, it was projected to have grown to 6.3 crore by 2015,” he said. The extensive exercise involved 1.6 lakh government officials, including IAS officers and teachers.
Karnataka holds the distinction of being the first state to commission such a survey. It was initiated in 2014 during Siddaramaiah’s previous term and completed by the BC Commission led by H Kantharaju in May 2015. However, the report was not submitted during the Congress tenure due to a technical snag — its then member secretary had not signed it.
Subsequent govts, including the JD(S)-Congress coalition led by HD Kumaraswamy and the BJP, chose not to act on the report, citing objections from dominant communities like Lingayats and Vokkaligas, who alleged their numbers had been undercounted.
Releasing the caste census was a major Congress poll promise, and with party leader Rahul Gandhi making a strong pitch for it during the recent AICC session, the state government is under pressure to move forward.
Siddaramaiah said the govt will scrutinize the report’s recommendations closely before deciding on the next course of action.
Tangadgi reiterated that the final decision would be made only after hearing all views. “Their opinions will be heard at the special cabinet meeting before the government takes the final call,” he said.