From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Nov 23: Newly appointed BJP opposition leader in the Assembly R Ashok on Thursday said there were ‘’genuine doubts about the authenticity of the Kantharaju panel’s report’’ and alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was ‘’in a hurry to implement the report to please party bosses.’’

Addressing media persons after taking charge of his office in Vidhana Soudha, he demanded a thorough inquiry into the theft of the original report of the Kantharaju panel on the caste census.

``There are serious doubts about the authenticity of the report, which does not even have the signature of the designated secretary,’’ he said and pointed out that several communities have opposed the report blaming it as ‘’most unscientific.’’

Ashok said the Siddaramaiah cabinet was divided over the report and questioned the hurry in accepting what he termed as the ‘’controversial report.’’

If the allegation that the original copy of the report is itself stolen, Ashok asked the government why it has not conducted an investigation into the theft as the government has spent crores of rupees on the Kantharaju panel.

``In the absence of the original copy of the report, how is it justified to prepare a revised report based on the data collected,’’ he asked.

The BJP leader said there is a vast difference in the population figures of 10 years ago and the present figures. There are allegations that the Kantharaju commission had not conducted a door-to-door survey, The chief minister’s hurry to implement the report leads to suspicion, he said.

He alleged that Siddaramaiah was in a hurry to prove his loyalty to Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to implement the ‘’half-baked report.’’

Ashok said if the Congress government was genuinely interested in providing reservation on the basis of population figures of different castes, it should order a fresh and transparent caste census after eliciting the views of all the religious pontiffs and organisations, which have been opposing the report.

The BJP leader warned that there will be a strong protest and opposition if the government goes ahead in implementing the unscientific report.

To a question on Kantharaju’s explanation that the report was scientifically prepared, Ashok asked why the Secretary did not sign and wondered if it was written in the house of someone else.