Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, April 17: Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes chairman K Jayaprakash Hegde on Thursday asserted that there is no major mistake in the caste census report prepared by the state government.
“I don’t think there is any mistake in the report or the data. There may be small mistakes, but there are no major mistakes in the report. It is with the Cabinet. They will discuss and then take a decision,” chairman Hegde told media persons.
He further added that some individuals have begun raising objections without checking or reading the report properly.
“After satisfying myself, members and the member-secretary signed the report and submitted it to the government,” the Chairman stated.
He also mentioned that, similar to Hindus, 93 castes and subcastes were found among Muslims during the survey process.
“As per their request, we have verified them and taken a decision,” he said.
When asked about major Hindu castes being subdivided into subcastes while the Muslim community is shown as a single group, he clarified that Muslims are categorised as one group. However, numerous castes are listed under other categories too. Some subcastes have been included within nomadic communities.
Speaking on the issue of reservation, Hegde noted that the central government has increased the reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) by 10%, highlighting that a Constitutional amendment was made and the judiciary has granted its approval.
“I don’t know what decision will be in future. It is left to the discretion of the judiciary,” he stated.
In 2014, during his first term as Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah ordered the Karnataka Socio-Economic and Educational Census. A committee led by the then Backward Classes Commission Chairman, H. Kantharaju, conducted the survey at an approximate cost of Rs 169 crore. The report was completed by 2016 but remained shelved by the subsequent administrations.
The Congress and JD(S) coalition government headed by H D Kumaraswamy, along with the BJP governments led by B S Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai, also left the report pending.
In 2020, the Karnataka government under the BJP appointed Jayaprakash Hegde as the Commission’s chief. However, the report was still not made public.
Hegde finally submitted the report to the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government on February 29, 2024. The opposition parties, BJP and JD(S), have since opposed the implementation of the findings.
According to sources, the caste census report submitted by the Backward Classes Commission allegedly places the Muslim population in the state at 18.08% and recommends an 8% reservation for the community.