Bengaluru: Amid speculations that the Karnataka government's socio-economic survey will be postponed, due to objections over the caste list prepared for the survey from certain groups, including within the ruling Congress, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday said that a decision will be made on the matter after discussions with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The survey is scheduled to take place between September 22 and October 7, at an estimated cost of Rs 420 crore.
At a cabinet meeting held earlier today, top sources told NDTV that several ministers raised strong objections to the manner in which the survey is being planned, especially regarding a number of castes containing dual identities in the list - having both Christian and Hindu caste names. The inclusion of Christian subcategories such as Kuruba Christian, Lingayat Christian, Vokkaliga Christian, Ediga Christian, among others, in the survey forms emerged as the biggest flashpoint.
Some even cautioned about this "problematic nomenclature" being projected as a move that will give opportunity for religious conversion, and them eating into the quota share of other OBCs.
Following the objections, Mr Siddaramaiah reportedly asked some ministers to hold a separate meeting and get back to him regarding further discussion. He also explained to his colleagues that the exercise should not be projected as a caste census, stressing that the government's focus is on socio-economic data collection.
Mr Shivakumar, who was part of the meeting alongside some of his cabinet colleagues, spoke to the Chief Minister before it started. He insisted that the aim of the government was "not to divide caste or communities but to ensure justice for one and all."
"We don't want to divide anyone. Neither the Congress party nor the Congress government wants division," Mr Shivakaumar reiterated.
"Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Many groups have requested us to include their caste separately, so it has been added. This has happened in the past, too. Some of our ministers have raised objections, and we are seeking public opinion. We will discuss these issues with the Chief Minister and then announce the way forward," Mr Shivakumar said.
Pointing out the alleged lack of unity within the cabinet, BJP state General Secretary and MLA Sunil Kumar told the government to postpone the survey.
"Call an all-party meeting and a meeting of all caste representatives to gather opinion, and hold the survey during the summer," news agency PTI quoted Mr Kumar as saying.
The second survey comes after the Siddaramaiah government scrapped the Karnataka Social and Economic Survey, popularly known as the caste census, conducted in 2015. Facing pressure from powerful, land-owning groups like Vokkaligas and Lingayats, the government backed away from accepting the report and acting on its recommendations. However, officially, they cited the decade-old data as outdated, calling for a fresh one instead.
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