Bengaluru, Apr 13 (PTI) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday said that the government will not take any hasty decision regarding the Socio-Economic and Education Survey report, popularly known as the ‘caste census’, that was recently tabled before the state cabinet.

The assurance from the Deputy CM came even as objections are being raised to the report by certain sections of society, and voices against it from within the ruling Congress, other than the opposition BJP.

The Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes’ report was placed before the cabinet on Friday, and it will be discussed at a special cabinet meeting scheduled on April 17.

The Commission, under its then Chairman K Jayaprakash Hegde, had submitted the report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on February 29 last year.

“The CM has spoken about it. I have not yet seen the report as I was visiting Belagavi and Mangaluru yesterday. It has to be discussed in the cabinet. Apparently, the CM has said that it will be discussed in the Assembly too. No one will take any hasty decision,” Shivakumar said.

Speaking to reporters at Doddaballapur near here, he said, “Some may be making political statements about it (caste census), but we will understand the facts and do justice for all.” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said he is not aware about what is in the report or what will be discussed in the cabinet, and hence he wouldn’t like to comment on it.

According to the survey report, out of a total 5.98 crore citizens covered under the survey that was carried out in 2015, about 70 per cent or 4.16 crore come under various OBC categories, according to official sources.

The Commission has recommended hiking the OBC quota from the current 32 per cent to 51 per cent, they said.

By giving OBCs a 51 per cent reservation quota, along with the existing 17 per cent for SCs and 7 per cent for STs, it will take the state’s total reservation to 75 per cent.

As per the report, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) together seem to form the largest social block in the state with their population at 1.52 crore, official sources said.

Though the caste-wise break-up of OBCs is not available from the report yet, Muslims, who alone come under Category-2B of OBC are with a population of 75.25 lakh, and they have been recommended 8 per cent reservation from existing 4 per cent. The general category population is at 29.74 lakh, they said.

Karnataka’s two dominant communities — Vokkaliags and Lingayats — led by seers have been expressing reservations about the survey, calling it “unscientific”. They have alleged that many households were left out from the survey, and have demanded that it be rejected and a fresh survey be conducted.

Findings of the survey is reportedly contrary to the “traditional perception” with regard to the numerical strength of various castes, especially Lingayats and Vokkaligas, making it a politically sticky issue, according to sources.

Ministers from these two communties are said to be preparing to place their objections during the next cabinet, officials said.

The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government (2013-2018) had in 2015 commissioned the survey in the state.

The State Backward Classes Commission, under its then Chairperson H Kantharaju, was tasked with preparing a caste census report. The survey work was completed in 2018 towards the end of Siddaramaiah’s first tenure as Chief Minister, and the report was finalised by his successor K Jayaprakash Hegde in February 2024.

Home Minister G Parameshwara said after discussing the report at the next cabinet meeting it may be either accepted or rejected.

However, as the CM has already said that the report is 95 per cent right, the chances of accepting it is more.

Minister M B Patil, a Lingayat, said that some subsects among Lingayats during the survey have named themselves as Hindu-Banajiga, Hindu-Ganiga, Hindu-Sadara among others for the sake of benefit under reservation matrix of OBC (2A), if counted all of them, the Lingayat population is more than 1 crore.

“We will discuss. We will see if there are ways to bring all Veershaiva-Lingayats under one head….But I want to make it clear that the Lingayat population is not 75 lakh, it is more than 1 crore,” he said.

Alleging that the survey creates division among castes, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, R Ashoka, said various subcastes among Vokkaligas have been divided in this report. The same is the case even with Lingayats.

“This is a report that cannot be accepted. If the government has any sense, it has to withdraw the report and do a scientific survey by collecting data from every household and obtain a fresh report,” he said, alleging Siddaramaiah is number one in dividing.

Stating that there is confusion within the ruling party about the caste census report as many have called it unscientific, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said, let them get a fresh and scientific survey done and get a report.

“The problem is, their (Cong) intention is to use the caste census for politics and to use it for vote bank, not welfare of communities,” he said. PTI KSU KH