Bengaluru/Mandya, Apr 22 (PTI) Alleging that the original caste census report prepared by the state government is missing, the opposition BJP in Karnataka on Tuesday claimed that it was currently with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The BJP along with some ruling party MLAs raised concerns over the alleged shortcomings in the original socio-economic and educational survey report, also referred to as the caste census report.
Referring to the letter written to the government by former chairperson of the Karnataka State Backward Commission K Jayaprakash Hegde stating that the original copy of the caste census report was not available, Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka had alleged that the entire report was "bogus" and called for a judicial probe into it.
He further alleged that the original report is with the CM and cited the purported letter written by Hegde on October 5, 2021 to the Principal Secretary in the Backward Class Welfare Department.
In the letter, Hegde said the sealed boxes containing the data and other details collected in the Social and Educational Survey-2015, which were kept in the office of the Commission, were opened in the presence of the Chairman of the Commission, members and member secretary on August 26, 2021.
“The Commission has noticed that the signature of the Member Secretary is not present in the printed main report. Along with this, since the original or manuscript of the main report related to this is not available in the sealed box, the concerned officer was instructed to submit the said manuscript to the office of the Commission immediately,” the letter said.
Siddaramaiah rubbished the claim and said, “When did Ashoka speak the truth? He utters lies only. How can I have the original report?”
During his visit to Mandya on Tuesday, the CM said if the ministers have objections then they should offer their views.
“We have already said that if there are any shortcomings then we will rectify them. People have not given their opinion (on caste census). We have asked them (minister) to give their opinion. Once we get their views, we will present it before the cabinet and take a decision,” Siddaramaiah told reporters.
When pointed to the differences between the present census and the one taken in 1981, Siddaramaiah said people will get to know whether the population has grown or has come down after a survey.
He also took a dig at the BJP for questioning the authenticity of the report and said, “Who is Jayaprakash Hegde? The previous BJP government in the state had appointed him. It’s a report prepared by him. What moral rights do they (BJP) have to comment on the survey? It’s a report submitted by the person appointed by them (BJP).”
He insisted that the report was prepared based on the data prepared by the previous chairperson of KSBC, H Kantharaj.
The caste census report was presented before the cabinet on April 11. The Chief Minister then convened a special cabinet meeting on April 17, where it was decided once again that it would be taken up in the next cabinet meeting on May 2.
The state government has signed an agreement worth Rs 43 crore with Bharat Electronics Limited to manage the caste census data.
Various communities are up in arms against the report, claiming that their population has not been surveyed properly and their numbers were way too low compared to their existing numbers.
The dominant Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities have been quite vocal against the report.
The Karnataka Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha president Kenchappa Gowda threatened to stage a massive protest if the caste census was adopted.
Gowda called the report "flawed" and said no one came to the doorstep of the Vokkaliga families as part of the survey.
Echoing a similar view, various Lingayat leaders have alleged that their population was not reflected properly in the survey report.