Janata Dal (Secular) leader and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Monday accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of staging “drama” by trying to bring the caste census issue to the forefront, to divert the public attention from the MUDA site allotment case against him.
He hit out at the Congress government in Karnataka for trying to mislead the people on the issue to “cover up” their wrongs, as he also raised questions about the relevance of the report that was prepared about ten years ago.
Siddaramaiah today held discussions with ministers and legislators from backward-class communities, where they are said to have deliberated on the Socio-Economic and Education Survey report, popularly known as the “caste census” report, according to official sources.
Home Minister G Parameshwara on Sunday said the government has decided to place the caste census report before the Cabinet, where it will be discussed and decided whether to table it in the legislature or to make it public directly.
“If you discuss scientifically, when was the (H) Kantharaju committee (for caste census) formed? It was probably in 2014. It has been ten years. The caste census was done about ten years ago. In ten years, various developments and changes have taken place....the old census report was kept without releasing it,” Kumaraswamy said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, there won’t be any benefit to any community from this caste census that was done a decade ago.
“I was blamed (by Congress), stating that I did not allow the report to be released. How long has it been since the report was handed over to Siddaramaiah (by Jayaprakash Hegde committee)? It was given before the Parliament election. Till now there was no noise about it, and now, in the backdrop of the MUDA scam, this government is trying to mislead the people and is trying to take protection in the name of the caste census,” he said.
Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes under its then Chairman K Jayaprakash Hegde on February 29 submitted the “fresh” report to CM Siddaramaiah.
The report — based on data collected from across the state in 2014-15 — was submitted amid objections by certain sections of society and also within the ruling Congress.
Karnataka's two dominant communities — Vokkaliags and Lingayats — have expressed reservations about the survey, calling it “unscientific”, and have demanded that it be rejected and a fresh survey be conducted.
The then Siddaramaiah-led Congress government (2013-2018) in 2015 commissioned the survey in the state at an estimated cost of ₹170 crore.
The Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes under its then chairperson Kantharaju was tasked with preparing a caste census report.
The survey work was completed in 2018, towards the end of Siddaramaiah's first tenure as chief minister, but it was neither accepted nor its findings were made public.
Responding to a question about senior Congress leader BK Hariprasad’s statement on Sunday asserting that the caste census report should be made public and implemented, even if the government goes because of it, Kumaraswamy said, “let them (Congress) go to the polls instead, on the issue caste census. Let them dissolve the assembly and go to the polls once again promising to implement it.”
To cover the wrongs committed by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government, as there is no development work happening in the state and to divert the attention of the people, they have begun the “drama”, regarding the caste census, the JD(S) state president alleged.
“Yes that’s why (to hide the MUDA case) they have brought the caste census issue to the forefront now, or else why will they bring this issue to the forefront after remaining silent on it all these days? Who had stopped Siddaramaiah from implementing it? Why is the issue being raised all of a sudden now? It is to cover up your wrongs...,” he added, responding to a question.
Siddaramaiah is facing the Lokayukta and ED probes into alleged irregularities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi BM by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy, Devaraju — from whom Mallikarjuna Swamy purchased land and gifted it to Parvathi — and others are named as other accused in the case by Lokayukta.
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