Bangalore, 30 April (H.S.): Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah has released the following statement on the Union Government’s decision to hold a caste census along with the population census:
Our Government wholeheartedly welcomes the Union Government’s decision to conduct a Caste Census and the national population census. At this moment, I urge the Union Government to also carry out a social, economic, and educational survey alongside the Caste Census.
In Karnataka, we didn’t just conduct a caste census — we also gathered data on the social, economic, and educational status of communities. Based on this data, we have taken steps to revise and expand the current reservation policy. I hope the Union Government will now follow through with this process as well.
The core purpose of a caste-based socio-economic-educational survey is to enable the formulation of a scientific and data-driven reservation policy. The Union Government must take note that the Supreme Court has repeatedly stressed the need for such a survey during reservation-related hearings.
When I was Deputy Chief Minister in the Dharam Singh Government, we had set up the Permanent Backward Classes Commission and decided to conduct a Caste Census along with a socio-economic-educational survey. Due to various reasons, that decision was not implemented and remained shelved. It took my return as Chief Minister to finally bring it to life.
I congratulate our Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has consistently championed the Caste Census and the expansion of reservation limits. He not only supported these demands but made them a central part of our party’s national agenda and campaign.
Even if Prime Minister Narendra Modi doesn’t acknowledge it, the country knows that it was Rahul Gandhi’s relentless pressure that forced the Union Government to agree to a Caste Census.
For years, the BJP and its governments attacked the idea of a Caste Census — calling it divisive and a threat to Hindu unity. That they now recognise its social importance is a welcome shift.
Caste is a reality of India’s social structure. Denying it is self-deception. We can annihilate caste only by first acknowledging it and then working to eliminate the economic and social inequalities that sustain it. I firmly believe this.
The Social, Economic, and Educational Survey conducted in Karnataka is complete. The BJP’s state unit continues to oppose it with various excuses. But our Government has already taken steps to revise the reservation policy and raise the 50% cap based on this data.
I urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reprimand BJP’s Karnataka leaders and advise them not to obstruct this effort.
Just as the BJP initially mocked our five Guarantee schemes and later adopted them, the Modi Government’s decision to implement a Caste Census proves that Congress’s policies are rooted in public welfare.
The Karnataka Government’s caste-based Social, Economic, and Educational Survey is a robust model. We are fully prepared to extend any guidance or support the Union Government may need.
Hindusthan Samachar / Rakesh Mahadevappa
