BENAGLURU: A leaked report of the Karnataka caste census which has recommended that the state govt increase the reservation for the OBCs from the existing 32% to 51% and the Muslims from 4% to 8% has divided the governing Congress with angry netas of various communities calling it “unscientific” and urging the govt to junk it. Muslims are included in the category which has OBCs.
The dramatic development comes ahead of a special cabinet meeting called by CM Siddaramaiah on April 17 to discuss the caste census report –formally known as the Socioeconomic and Educational Survey –which was submitted to the cabinet on Friday. On Sunday, the cabinet ministers were all delivered a copy of the survey report to study and prepare for the April 17 meeting.
Though the leaked report does not give the respective proportions in total population of the two dominant caste groups in Karanataka – Vokkaligas and Lingayats – it does propose quotas in different categories which the two rival caste groups are part of.
The report says that under category III(A), which includes Vokkaligas and two other dominant communities, the population is placed at 73 lakh and the same should be given a 7% reservation. Similarly, the population under category III (B), which comprises Veerashaiva-Lingayats and five other communities, is 81.3 lakh and the report recommends 8% quota. The total population of the state is pegged at 5.9 crore.
As per the report’s recommendations, the total reservation for all the communities would increase to 73.5% (including 15% for SCs and 7.5% for STs) from the existing 50% reservation in the state which follows SC’s capping.
Though the exact proportion of Lingayats and Vokkaligas in the population of modern day Karnataka is not known, the two communities were estimated at 19% and 17%, respectively, on the basis of which the Chenappa Reddy commission for socio economic survey had given its report in 1990. On the basis of that report, the then Deve Gowda govt in the state had recommended 4% reservations for Muslims.
Even though the total Lingayat numbers are not known, industries minister and Lingayat leader MB Patil hinted at mismatch between the ground realities and the survey findings, saying: “It is nobody’s fault that the Lingayat numbers have fallen (from expected results) in the survey. Members of some Lingayat community sub-castes have (in a fine slicing of sub-caste identity) declared themselves as Hindu Ganiga, Hindu Banajiga, Hindu Sadaras for the sake of (existing) 2A reservation benefits.
If we take all of them into account and also Lingayats recorded under 3B, then their population crosses 1 crore. The cabinet meeting will discuss all these finer points.”
As an individual community, Muslims are placed at 12.6% of the population in 2015 when the survey was conducted.
The largest community in Karnataka, however, are the Scheduled Castes with a population of nearly 1.1 crore and 108 sub-castes within them.
Responding to senior Congressman and All-India Veerashaiva Mahasabha president Shamanur Shivashankarappa’s claim that the report was “unscientific” and that “no one from the survey team ever came” to his residence to collect data, deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar was cryptic in his response: \
“Everyone is trying to safeguard their communities. I will not stop them (as it’s their democratic right to do so). On April 17, the cabinet will discuss the issue. The CM has said legislators will be allowed to debate the matter in the assembly. We will not rush into it.”
About the Vokkaliga community being considered the sixth largest in the state, Shivakumar said he is KPCC president and it’s his responsibility to ensure “justice is delivered to all communities”.
BJP targeted the Congress govt for minority appeasement. “This report reeks of the CM dictating the numbers to census author H Kantharaju. If not, there is no way Muslims are declared the ‘majority community’ in the state,” said opposition leader R Ashoka.