Congress backs Karnataka caste census, urges Siddaramaiah to order fresh survey

Bengaluru: The AICC leadership on Tuesday urged Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah to initiate a fresh survey of castes based on the Telangana model, since the existing details are about 10 years old, while accepting "in principle" the state's caste census exercise and throwing its weight behind it.

KC Venugopal, AICC general secretary (organisation), told reporters that the party has suggested to the chief minister to do a "re-enumeration" of castes as sections of communities have cast doubt over the count, and the party, too, felt the data was 10 years old.

Venugopal said the party has left it to the state government to work out the finer details, such as the stipulated period in which the exercise must be completed.


Siddaramaiah has convened a special Cabinet meeting on June 12 to discuss the caste census exercise. The AICC leadership has pushed the state government to model the upcoming census on the lines of socio-economic, education, employment, political and caste (SEEEPC) survey the Congress regime in Telangana conducted.

AICC president Mallikarjuna Kharge, Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, and AICC general secretaries KC Venugopal and RS Surjewala discussed the subject with Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar and suggested the way forward to pursue Gandhi's idea.

Siddaramaiah told reporters in Delhi that the government will record that it has accepted the caste survey report in principle before ordering a fresh enumeration. The government would aim to complete the exercise in 90 days, he said.

Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar said the party leadership has vetted the inputs given by ministers and community leaders and religious mutt heads and told the government to ensure fairness to all communities.

The government will deploy officials who will visit every household and gather data. The chief minister will decide on a timeline for completion.

A few ministers representing the dominant Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities had conveyed in an earlier Cabinet meeting that the sub-caste wise dissection, they said, had suggested a sharp drop in the population of their communities while the reality was otherwise.