Political faceoff on cards? K'taka govt gets caste census report

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The much awaited Socio-Economic and Education Survey report, popularly known as the "caste census", was submitted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, by Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes Chairman K Jayaprakash Hegde on Thursday, triggering a renewed debate within the Congress which appeared divided over the issue.

This comes amid objections to the report by certain sections of the society and also within the ruling Congress.

"We don't know what is in the report. The government has received the report, it will be placed before the Cabinet, and will be discussed and decided there," Siddaramaiah told reporters after receiving it.

Karnataka's two dominant communities -- Vokkaliags and Lingayats -- have expressed reservations about the survey, calling it "unscientific", and have demanded that it be rejected and a fresh survey conducted.

Not willing to share the highlights of the report as it has been submitted to the government, Hegde rubbished the claims that it is unscientific.

"Who has read it (report) to call it unscientific...there are claims about leak, how? Even if one or two items might have leaked, the entire report cannot be leaked. My question is how the report can be called unscientific without reading it completely," he said.

However, a few Congress Ministers and MLAs, especially those from the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community, expressed their apprehensions.