Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India]: The Karnataka government’s decision to re-enumerate the 2015 caste survey has sparked sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which accused the ruling Congress of committing “injustice” towards the state’s backward classes.
BJP MLC and Chief Whip of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council, N Ravikumar, lambasted the Congress leadership for what he termed as a wasteful political exercise and a diversionary tactic to shift focus from recent administrative failures.
Ravikumar questioned the rationale behind spending crores of taxpayer money on the original 2015 social and educational survey if its data were now to be discarded.
“The Congress high command has done injustice to the backward classes. They even criticised Siddaramaiah saying the survey figures were old. But it was Siddaramaiah himself who commissioned the original survey during his first term as Chief Minister,” Ravikumar told reporters.
He further pointed out that Siddaramaiah, who previously declared his intent to implement the caste census findings submitted by the Permanent Backward Classes Commission, changed his stand after consultations in Delhi with Congress top brass.
“Why was ₹165 crore of public money wasted if a new survey was to be done? Siddaramaiah, once hailed as a champion of backward classes, has betrayed them,” he added.
Ravikumar also accused the Congress government of attempting to cover up the recent Chinnaswamy stadium stampede, which claimed 11 young lives during the RCB victory celebration.
“In Karnataka, both the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister were summoned to Delhi by Congress leaders to bring up the caste census issue in order to deflect attention from the tragedy of the stampede,” he alleged.
Siddaramaiah, on the other hand, defended the move, stating that discussions had been held with various stakeholders, including religious leaders and organisations, and that there was consensus on the need for a fresh caste enumeration.
“The report has been accepted in principle. There is a general agreement that a re-enumeration should be conducted, and we have agreed to it,” Siddaramaiah said.