Top leaders of Lingayats, Vokkaligas, Kurubas, Muslims, Jains and Brahmins have stepped up efforts to consolidate their respective communities to see the two-week caste census, beginning Monday, would present the true size of their population even as chief minister Siddaramaiah came under last minute pressure on Sunday to postpone the exercise.
The CM, who built his political career championing the cause of minorities, backward classes and Dalits (Ahinda) refused to back down in the face of resistance from the Opposition BJP and JDS, and from some of his own Cabinet colleagues to go slow on the socio-economic and educational survey, choosing to toe AICC leader Rahul Gandhi’s line. Union Steel Minister HD Kumaraswamy has sought postponement of the survey or do it in phases over a three-month period to make the exercise flawless.
Swami Nirmalanandanatha, the head of the Vokkaliga mutt of Adichunchanagiri has expressed doubts over the government’s ability to cover the state’s 7 crore population in 15 days as the neighbouring Telangana took 65 days to survey the state’s 3.5 crore population.
While Veerashaiva-Lingayats held a massive convention in Hubballi on Friday, Muslims, Jains, and Brahmins held separate community meetings over the last two days to decide how the community members should respond to queries from enumerators. Muslim leaders have told their members to indicate Islam as their religion and Muslim as their caste.
Vokkaliga leaders have also issued specific directions even as they are cynical about the outcome. Dy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga leader himself, has refused to divulge what he spoke at the meeting of the community’s political and religious leaders in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Lingayat, Vokkaliga and other community leaders are livid that the Karnataka Permanent Backward Classes Commission has sought to divide the Hindu communities by inventing communities such as Brahmin Christian, Vokkaliga Christian, and Lingayat Christian which, they fear, would only reduce the actual number of major communities while inflating the size of Christians. Many leaders have pressed to project Christians as one religion and remove the confusing prefixes.
Some Congress ministers have also expressed concern that the survey, if botched-up, could have disastrous consequences on the party in the upcoming local body elections with the BJP already running a campaign projecting the Congress as anti-Hindu.
The Lingayat leaders from the BJP are firm that their community members must assert their Hindu identity and mention Veerashaiva or Lingayat as their caste. The Lingayat leaders from the Congress, on the other hand have asked the members to identify themselves as Veerashiva-Lingayats in the religion column.
Rahul Gandhi is said to be keen that Siddaramaiah model the census on the lines of Telangana’s socio-economic, education, employment, political and caste (SEEEPC) survey.
The CM, who built his political career championing the cause of minorities, backward classes and Dalits (Ahinda) refused to back down in the face of resistance from the Opposition BJP and JDS, and from some of his own Cabinet colleagues to go slow on the socio-economic and educational survey, choosing to toe AICC leader Rahul Gandhi’s line. Union Steel Minister HD Kumaraswamy has sought postponement of the survey or do it in phases over a three-month period to make the exercise flawless.
Swami Nirmalanandanatha, the head of the Vokkaliga mutt of Adichunchanagiri has expressed doubts over the government’s ability to cover the state’s 7 crore population in 15 days as the neighbouring Telangana took 65 days to survey the state’s 3.5 crore population.
While Veerashaiva-Lingayats held a massive convention in Hubballi on Friday, Muslims, Jains, and Brahmins held separate community meetings over the last two days to decide how the community members should respond to queries from enumerators. Muslim leaders have told their members to indicate Islam as their religion and Muslim as their caste.
Vokkaliga leaders have also issued specific directions even as they are cynical about the outcome. Dy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga leader himself, has refused to divulge what he spoke at the meeting of the community’s political and religious leaders in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Lingayat, Vokkaliga and other community leaders are livid that the Karnataka Permanent Backward Classes Commission has sought to divide the Hindu communities by inventing communities such as Brahmin Christian, Vokkaliga Christian, and Lingayat Christian which, they fear, would only reduce the actual number of major communities while inflating the size of Christians. Many leaders have pressed to project Christians as one religion and remove the confusing prefixes.
Some Congress ministers have also expressed concern that the survey, if botched-up, could have disastrous consequences on the party in the upcoming local body elections with the BJP already running a campaign projecting the Congress as anti-Hindu.
The Lingayat leaders from the BJP are firm that their community members must assert their Hindu identity and mention Veerashaiva or Lingayat as their caste. The Lingayat leaders from the Congress, on the other hand have asked the members to identify themselves as Veerashiva-Lingayats in the religion column.
Rahul Gandhi is said to be keen that Siddaramaiah model the census on the lines of Telangana’s socio-economic, education, employment, political and caste (SEEEPC) survey.
You may also like
'Not an MLA, but get Rs 20 cr in funds': Sena leader Sarvankar boasts; later clarifies
Pramod Bhagat, Sukant Kadam and Krishna Nagar excel in China Para-Badminton
Keir Starmer confirms UK formally recognises Palestine
Chhattisgarh sees rise in church shutdown amid pressure from police, Hindutva orgs
When Centre and State govts move together, dream of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' will be fulfilled: PM Modi stresses on Swadeshi
