Karnataka Caste Census report

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's announcement to accept a report of the socio-economic survey known as caste census is likely to stir a debate in the state as the contents might change the caste calculations.

Political circles have opined that the newly-elected Congress government is opening a Pandora's Box.

With the announcement, the report prepared at a cost of Rs 162 crore languishing for eight years will now be accepted by the government.

Fearing the consequences, the previous governments headed by H.D. Kumaraswamy, B.S. Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai did not accept the report throughout their tenure.

However, Chief Minister Siddramaiah had now stated that his government would accept the report.

"When we were in power previously, our government had conducted socio-economic surveys through permanent backward classes commission at a cost of Rs 162 crore. Previous governments hesitated to receive the survey report. Our government will receive the report. Necessary facilities shall be provided in different sectors like education, employment, business based on the facts," the Chief Minister declared.

The report has remained a mystery due to the politics surrounding it.

According to leaked findings of the report, Lingayats and Vokkaligas are outnumbered by Dalits and Muslims.

The findings went on to become sensational news in the state and triggered a huge controversy. Lingayats and Vokkaligas who played an important role solely by the numbers, faced the challenge of politically becoming not so relevant.

Politics in Karnataka is caste driven and caste groups, caste seers, especially from Lingayat, Vokkaliga and Kuruba communities play an important role in elections. The seers also wield greater influence on the successive governments.

The 2014 Siddaramaiah-government in Karnataka had ordered for the survey. It maintained that the findings would enable it to take decisions on reservations and quotas in the Other Backward Communities (OBC) category