Siddu will not accept caste census report until LS polls, alleges HDK

NT Correspondent

Ramanagara / Hassan: JD(S) state president HD Kumaraswamy on Friday sought to question Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as to why he hadn’t accepted the Kantharaju Commission report despite being in power for six months, adding that the CM would leave the caste census alone until the Lok Sabha elections slated to be held May next year.

He made the comments during his visits to Ramanagara and Hassan where he had been participating in protests and party programmes.

“It’s being said that the caste census report would be studied by the government for another four months. I believe nothing will happen to the caste census until Lok Sabha elections are concluded. It is not necessary for anyone to be stressed. This government can’t accomplish anything,” Kumaraswamy told mediapersons.

The JD(S) bigwig noted that Siddaramaiah had been very critical of Kumaraswamy for not accepting the report when he was the CM in 2018.

He pointed out that Siddaramaiah himself had been circumspect about the report and hadn’t accepted despite being in power for six months.

“You had been blaming me for not accepting the Kantharaju Commission report back in 2018. It has been six months. Why haven’t you accepted the report?” he asked.

The comments came on the day when Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes (KSCBC) chairman K Jayaprakash Hegde saw his term extended up to January 31 so as to be able to submit the report comfortably.

According to the alleged leaks of the report, Dalits and Muslims now outnumber Lingayats and Vokkaligas, the most politically dominant communities in the state.

It is feared that the disclosure of the report may harm the dominant communities by recommending reduction of their share in the quota. As per the report, Scheduled Castes (SCs) including some “touchable” nomadic castes are said to number 1.8 crore, which is about a third 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 slipped 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