Bengaluru, Apr 14 (PTI) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar will discuss with Congress legislators from his Vokkaliga community on Tuesday, and seek their opinion on the Socio-Economic and Education Survey report, popularly known as the ‘caste census’, which was recently tabled before the state cabinet.

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

A meeting of the Congress party’s Vokkaliga legislators has been called on Tuesday at 6.00 pm at the Deputy CM’s official residence on Kumara Park Gandhi Bhavan Road, Bengaluru, according to a release from his office.

“I have not yet studied it (caste census report) completely, I’m still studying it. I have called some of our legislators tomorrow, and we will discuss this. We will give suggestions ensuring that everyone’s dignity is protected and no one is hurt. I have not been able to study it completely.

I will seek for opinions and then talk,” Shivakumar told reporters here on Monday.

The Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes report was placed before the cabinet on April 11, 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.

Findings of the survey are 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, and Ministers from these two communities are said to be preparing to place their objections during the next cabinet, sources said.

The survey report, reportedly estimates the population of the Lingayat community at 66.35 lakh and the Vokkaliga community population is said to be at 61.58 lakh.

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

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

Muslims, who alone come under Category-2B of OBC have a population of 75.25 lakh, and they have been recommended 8 per cent reservation from existing 4.

The general category population is at 29.74 lakh, they 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.

Earlier, Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga himself was a signatory along with a couple of other ministers to a memorandum submitted by the community to the chief minister, requesting that the report and the data be rejected.

The All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, the apex body of the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community, headed by Congress MLA Shamanuru Shivashankarappa, has criticized the survey and called for a new one, joined by several Lingayat ministers and MLAs who also oppose it. PTI KSU ADB