Daijiworld Media Network - Mandya

Mandya, May 3: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday launched a scathing attack on the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), accusing them of having a century-long history of opposing social justice and affirmative action.

Speaking to reporters in Srirangapatna taluk of Mandya district, Siddaramaiah said, “The RSS, which will complete 100 years in 2025, has never supported the idea of reservation. Their opposition can be traced back to the days of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and the Miller Commission.”

The Chief Minister stressed the urgent need for a comprehensive social, educational, and economic survey, stating that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been advocating for such a caste-based census for two years. He noted that it was included in the Congress manifesto and supported by party president Mallikarjun Kharge through formal communication with the Prime Minister.

“While the Central government has now said it will conduct a caste census, they’ve yet to announce a timeline. They're talking about including it in the general census, but we need clarity and urgency,” Siddaramaiah said.

He also called for a constitutional amendment to lift the 50% cap on reservations, as mandated by a Supreme Court judgment, arguing that such a cap makes proportional representation based on population impossible.

“If the goal is to build an equal society and ultimately eradicate caste, we must provide meaningful reservation to socially, economically, and educationally backward communities,” he said, further advocating for reservation in the private sector.

Siddaramaiah pledged to raise the issue directly with Prime Minister Modi and push for concrete steps toward inclusive policy-making.

Home Minister G. Parameshwara, also weighing in, reminded the media that India hasn’t had a caste census since 1931, and the state of Karnataka conducted its own to understand and uplift marginalized communities. He welcomed the Centre’s move to initiate a national caste census, emphasizing that Karnataka’s report would act as a vital supporting document.

“The Chief Minister has already said that the upcoming budget will incorporate programmes based on the caste census report’s recommendations,” Parameshwara added.