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    Karnataka caste census to start on September 22, Siddaramaiah rules out delay

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    Karnataka caste census to start on September 22, Siddaramaiah rules out delay

    CM Siddaramaiah assures survey will proceed amid BJP criticism

    Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday ruled out any postponement of the Social and Educational Survey (caste census), confirming that the exercise will begin as scheduled on September 22. His remarks came a day after Cabinet discussions revealed divisions over the survey.

    Speaking to reporters, Siddaramaiah said: “BJP is politicising this issue and alleging that Congress is anti-Hindu. We have directed all ministers to condemn this.” Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar also criticised the BJP for spreading what he called “false information” about the survey.

    Backward Classes Commission clarifies methodology

    The Backward Classes Commission, headed by Madhusudan R Naik, held detailed discussions on Friday about controversies surrounding certain Christian groups using prefixes or suffixes of Hindu caste names (such as Ediga Christian, Kuruba Christian, Lingayat Christian).

    Naik told Deccan Herald: “The list of castes in the handbook is not for public information, it is to help our enumerators get the list of castes in the drop down as per the alphabetical order. It is not a list of castes, and doesn’t have any legal sanctity.”

    He further clarified that while no caste would be removed from the enumerator’s list, disputed names would be masked in the survey app. Citizens would still be free to enumerate their caste as they deem fit, and enumerators would record it accordingly.

    A question in the survey asks: ‘Is there any other name your caste is known by?’ Here, individuals can provide their preferred identification, which will be recorded by the enumerator. Both Siddaramaiah and Naik emphasised that the Backward Classes Commission is a statutory body and the government can only suggest, not direct, its actions.

    Meetings and political context

    Congress General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala met Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar on Friday to ensure clarity in the survey process. The previous day, ministers including Shivakumar, Law Minister H K Patil, Labour Minister Santosh Lad, and Backward Classes Welfare Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi met the Commission to raise concerns, which the Commission addressed by noting that all disputed caste names were introduced during the tenure of the H Kantharaj Commission.

    BJP and Muslim community positions

    The BJP’s two-day ‘Chintan Shibira’ concluded on Friday with a resolution urging all communities in Karnataka to declare their religion as ‘Hindu’ in the upcoming survey.

    Meanwhile, Muslim leaders, chaired by Minority Welfare Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, decided that members of their community should identify themselves as a ‘Muslim’ caste under the religion ‘Islam’ during the survey starting September 22.

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