CM Siddaramaiah to finally receive caste census?

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Speculation has been growing that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will be receiving the Kantharaju Commission report later this week.

This is especially so since Karnataka State Permanent Backward Classes Commission (KSPBCC) Chairman Jayaprakash Hegde is all set to end his tenure this month.

Moreover, the CM has on multiple occasions said that he would accept the report in November.

The Kantharaju Commission report – a socioeconomic and educational survey – was constituted in April 2015 during Siddaramaiah’s first term under then KSPBCC Chairperson H Kantharaj for an estimated Rs 162 crore.

However, once the Backward Classes (BC) Kuruba leader lost power in 2018, the report was put aside.

Siddaramaiah even blamed successive CMs HD Kumaraswamy, BS Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai for purposefully ignoring the report due to political reasons.

Lingayats, Vokkaligas wary of fall-out

The issue is the alleged leaks from the Kantharaju Commission report seem to suggest that the two most politically dominant communities in the state – Lingayats and Vokkaligas – were now outnumbered by Dalits and Muslims, both communities with fewer resources and political heft.

This has led many Lingayats and Vokkaligas across party lines to oppose the disclosure and implementation of the report, which may recommend increasing the quota share of the more populous groups at the expense of the less populous ones.

JD(S) legislature party leader HD Kumaraswamy is vehemently opposed to it. Deputy CM Shivakumar and Kumaraswamy are Vokkaligas and lean on their community.

Lingayats on the other hand back the BJP. That leaves the Congress finding it difficult to cater to its Ahinda (acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalit) support base.

Demographic breakdown may surprise

According to the leaks, Scheduled Castes (SCs) including some “touchable” nomadic castes number 1.8 crore, about 30 per cent of Karnataka's six crore people.

Muslims  are the second most populous group at 85 lakhs which is more than 14 per cent. Lingayats have slipped to 10 per cent at 60 lakhs. Similarly, Vokkaligas have decreased to eight per cent at 50 lakhs.

Kurubas number 45 lakhs and 7.5 per cent. Scheduled Tribes (STs) account for 6.6 per cent and 40.45 lakhs.

Renewed opposition to report

On November 2, a Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha meeting discussed the community’s opposition to the disclosure of the Kantharaju Commission report.

The meeting was attended by Shivakumar, BJP MLAs CN Ashwath Narayan and ST Somasekhar, Agriculture Minister N Chaluvaraya Swamy and other leaders of note.

Vokkaliga pontiff of the Adichunchunagiri mutt Niramalandanatha Swamy was also present. This was followed by Veerashaiva Mahasabha president and senior Congress MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa on November 9 declaring the report as unscientific since the numbers of their community were reportedly low in it.

The organisation demanded that a fresh survey be conducted and that Aadhar cards be used.