Politics of caste census

The clamour for the release of the caste census report is growing in Karnataka with Congress leader Siddaramaiah re-igniting the debate at a convention in Bengaluru recently. The issue carries so much relevance that it will definitely make ripples in the upcoming assembly elections.

Siddaramaiah himself had initiated the caste census in 2015 with the setting up of a commission, headed by former chief of Karnataka Backward Classes Commission H Kantharaj. It was a Rs 165cr exercise and the commission submitted its report in 2017.

Despite being in power, Siddaramiah could not release the report because of pressure from his own party. His successors - HD Kumaraswamy, BS Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai - too kept the report under wraps without citing any reasons.

News Trail on Friday brought out why political parties are scared to touch the topic. The report, accessed by this newspaper, found that Dalits are the largest community in the state (19.5%) followed by Other backward classes (16.5%) Muslims (16%), Lingayats (14%), Vokkaligas (11%), Brahmins (3%) Christians (2%) and Buddhists & Jains (2%). It showed that the population of the politically strong Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities are lower than the Dalit population.

Another interesting finding is that Kurubas (Siddaramaiah’s community) account for 7% of the state’s population. Dalits allege that successive governments are reluctant to release the report owing to pressure from dominant Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities. Both Lingayats and Vokkaligas have joined hands to dispute the findings.

They have termed that data as fabricated to suit the political interest of Siddaramaiah. Though the reasons for keeping the report under wraps are crystal clear, the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes has said the report does not contain the signature of the member-secretary of the commission, and it is hindering the report’s release.

News Trail report evoked strong reactions from political parties. While the Congress spokesperson said the caste report is imperative to ensuring social justice, a senior BJP leader said accepting the report will be detrimental to the interest of upper castes and that is why the government is going slow on it.

Even Congress leaders, except Siddaramaiah, appear to be wary of highlighting the caste census in the run up to the elections. It has constituted a committee under the chairmanship of senior leader M Veerappa Moily to study the impact of the caste census and whether it could be raised as a poll issue. Dalits, who account for 23.5% of the population, appear to be upset with the delay and have accused political parties of protecting upper castes.

In this context, the government should release the report immediately to ensure social justice. It may be a pure coincidence that Siddaramaiah raised the issue after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced that his government will undertake a socio-economic survey of all castes and communities. This is an indication that caste census will emerge as a pivotal issue in the state assembly and parliamentary polls.