DKShivkumar, who belongs to the Vokkaliga caste, has accepted that he is one of the signatories to a letter demanding a fresh caste census to be conducted in the state.
Months after Congress formed the government in Karnataka, there are reports of cracks emerging in the Congress-led administration.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been consistently reiterating his stance on the caste survey and has vowed to conduct caste-based surveys wherever the Congress comes to power.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, while interacting with the media on Wednesday, said that he signed a petition urging Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to reject the upcoming caste census, which is expected to be submitted soon.
Let me tell you why DK Shivkumar signed a petition to discard the caste census report. The findings of the 2015 socio-economic and educational survey by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government were not released. However, leaked data from the report indicates a much lower population of the politically influential Lingayats and Vokkaligas than what is commonly believed.
If released, the report could benefit Siddaramaiah’s backward caste politics but could also result in undermining the clout of Lingayat and Vokkaliga leaders.
Also Read: Dr Ambedkar’s Statue To Be Inaugurated On SC Premises On Constitution Day
DKShivkumar, who belongs to the Vokkaliga caste, has accepted that he is one of the signatories to a letter demanding a fresh caste census to be conducted in the state.
“Politicians from various communities have been rallying around this issue. Similarly, I have to wear the community hat and participate in apolitical meetings organized by the community. Is it wrong?” This is what DK Shivkumar has said, justifying his stance on a demand to discard the 2015 socio-economic and educational survey and conduct a fresh caste census in the state.
“It seems to me that those who are opposing the caste census don’t know what the report contains. No one should oppose based on hearsay and wrong assumptions,” CM Siddaramaiah said.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka government on Wednesday has postponed its plan to accept caste census reports by a month.
The concern for Congress is that the cracks between the CM and DCM’s relationship do not widen, especially before Congress steps into the campaign mode for the big elections. After all, Karnataka is a state with 28 Lok Sabha seats.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
