Reservation rethink begins
Strap: Karnataka scraps Rs 165-crore caste report, orders fresh survey to calm dominant caste backlash
Blurb:
The state resets its caste census effort, with the Siddaramaiah cabinet calling for a new survey — replacing the earlier ₹165-crore report that faced pushback from several communities
Byline: Ashwini K
All eyes were on the Siddaramaiah cabinet as it met to take a call on the long-pending caste census report — a massive exercise conducted at a cost of Rs 165 crore. The report contained key findings and proposed major policy measures, including changes to reservation parameters based on consolidated wealth and population data. Notably, it identified Vokkaligas and Lingayats as dominant caste groups, each accounting for more than 10% of the state’s population.
But the report had triggered unease across several communities. With growing pressure, it remained to be seen whether the government would act on its recommendations. In a crucial cabinet meeting, the Siddaramaiah-led government chose not to approve the earlier caste census.
Instead, the cabinet announced that a fresh socio-economic and educational survey would be carried out within three months, effectively rendering the previous report obsolete and its suggestions shelved.
“Section 11(1) of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1995 mandates a revision of the state backward classes list once in 10 years. Since the last survey was conducted a decade ago, a new survey is required under the law,” Chief Minister Siddaramaiah explained.
He also acknowledged that the previous report had stirred apprehensions. “Several ministers and communities have raised concerns. Keeping this in mind, the party leadership has decided to re-enumerate castes in the state,” he added.
The decision followed a meeting between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi — suggesting that the party high command had a decisive role in shaping the outcome.
The ‘dominant’ question
After the release of the erstwhile caste census report, both the Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities strongly challenged its findings, calling it unscientific and inaccurate. In response, both groups initiated their own independent surveys to establish what they claim would be a more accurate representation of their population strength.
Given that the Congress draws substantial support from the Vokkaliga community — traditionally a loyal vote bank — and with Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar emerging as the most prominent Vokkaliga leader by sidelining rivals like HD Deve Gowda and HD Kumaraswamy, it was expected that the party would tread cautiously.
While the Lingayats have largely aligned with the BJP in recent years, the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections saw the Congress making notable inroads into the community. For the Congress’s broader social engineering strategy, continued support from the Lingayats will be crucial.
In this context, it is likely that the party would avoid taking any steps that could risk alienating either of these two dominant communities — particularly when it comes to sensitive issues like reservation and caste categorisation.
A setback for Siddaramaiah?
If anyone had shown unwavering enthusiasm for implementing the earlier caste survey, it was Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. As a prominent face of the Ahinda (a Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes, and Dalits) movement in Karnataka, he has long championed the assertion of Dalits, OBCs, and minority communities.
When the caste survey proposed revised measures that favoured his own Kuruba community, Siddaramaiah welcomed the move. He was also among the first to urge the central government to adopt Karnataka’s model of a caste census and apply it nationally.
However, the recent political developments appear to have dealt a setback to his long-held social justice agenda. The decision to discard the earlier survey and initiate a fresh caste enumeration may erode his credibility among Ahinda communities — the very groups that form his core support base.
How Siddaramaiah, who continues to be a widely popular leader in the state, navigates this issue in the coming weeks will be closely watched.