2015 socio-economic survey to be tabled in Karnataka Cabinet today
The report was compiled in 2015 during the tenure of H Kantharaj as chairman of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes
Nearly a decade after Karnataka conducted an extensive socio-economic and educational survey aimed at understanding caste demographics, the state government will be reopening the sealed report in a crucial cabinet meeting scheduled for Friday.
The report was compiled in 2015 during the tenure of H Kantharaj as chairman of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes. Though the report remain unpublished to date, officials familiar with the matter said that the government is planning to consider examining its findings and the matter will be discussed in the cabinet meeting on Friday.
An official said the government might form a cabinet sub-committee and appoint an expert panel to assess the data before acting on its recommendations. “The final decision will rest with chief minister Siddaramaiah following deliberations at the cabinet level,” he said.
The move comes years after Siddaramaiah first commissioned the survey during his earlier stint as chief minister. The project reportedly cost ₹162 crore and mobilised over 160,000 personnel who visited more than 10.6 million households across the state. Though Siddaramaiah announced in June last year that the report would be accepted, the contents have yet to be made public.
However, the issue remains politically fraught. When the report was set to be tabled earlier in February this year, internal opposition from leaders within the Congress led to its postponement. Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar and forest minister Eshwar Khandre — both representing dominant communities, Vokkaligas and Lingayats respectively — were among those who raised concerns with the party high command.
The government’s decision to revisiting the matter came a day after Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said that he will pass the caste census law in the Parliament when the party comes to power.
Addressing the AICC session on the banks of the Sabarmati river, Rahul Gandhi said: “We took a revolutionary step of caste census in Telangana. A few months before that, I had asked PM Narendra Modi in the Parliament that we should get a caste census done in the country... I wanted to know who had what share in this country and whether this country truly respected the tribal, Dalit, and backward communities... PM Narendra Modi and RSS clearly refused the caste census because they don’t want to reveal the share that minorities get in this country... I told him that we will pass the caste census law in the Parliament right in front of you...”
In Karnataka, however, the backlash from these communities surfaced in 2018 when leaked figures from the report suggested that both Vokkaligas and Lingayats accounted for a smaller share of the population than widely believed —14% and 11% respectively. The data reportedly showed Scheduled Castes at 19.5%, Muslims at 16%, and Kurubas, an OBC group, at 7%. Overall, OBCs made up around 20% of the population, and when combined with SCs, STs, Muslims, and Kurubas, these marginalised communities constituted nearly 47.5% of the state’s total.
Amid growing demands for enhanced reservations, some within the Congress argued that the release of the report was overdue. “A serious study of the 2015 report is long overdue. The government must stop delaying and act decisively,” CS Dwarakanath, former chairman of the Backward Classes Commission told media (WHEN).
However, opposition remains firm among groups like the All India Veerashaiva-Lingayat Mahasabha. Its state president Shankar Bidri reiterated concerns about the credibility of the enumeration. “Many communities including Veerashaiva-Lingayats will suffer grave injustice since their enumeration was not properly done and their population is said to be overwhelmingly underestimated,” he said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), meanwhile, has criticised the Congress-led government for its handling of the issue.“This government has set new records in price hikes. Even the cost of drinking water in Bengaluru has gone up. Now they are talking about tabling the caste census in the Cabinet. But which report do they plan to implement — Kantharaj or Jayaprakash Hegde? The people of Karnataka deserve clarity. Siddaramaiah’s flip-flops will not be tolerated for long,” BJP MLA Sunil Kumar said while questioning the government’s intent and clarity on the matter.
