The Congress in Karnataka seems to be in a bind over the socio-economic and educational survey (caste census) conducted in 2015. Powerful caste lobbies within the party are at work ahead of the Lok Sabha election year, building pressure on the government not to accept the report.
While the party nationally has announced that it will undertake a caste census to study the status of Backward Classes if voted to power in 2024, it is struggling in Karnataka where the census was conducted during the earlier Congress government more than eight summers ago and the report is yet to see the light of day.
Over the past few weeks, as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the most popular OBC leader in the State, on multiple occasions announced that his government would accept the census report, the powerful land-owning Vokkaliga and Veershaiava/Lingayat communities brought together their leaders from across the political spectrum on a common platform to oppose the census that they term “unscientific”. They include powerful Ministers who will be part of the Cabinet that will decide on the fate of the report, if submitted in the near future.
