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According to leaked data, two politically and economically powerful castes—Lingayats and Vokkaligas— are in the third and fourth place after Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Muslims
Siddaramaiah is hopeful that till the census matter is settled, he is untouchable, and it will reconsolidate his AHINDA bloc. (PTI)
Two incidents within a gap of just one week seem to have changed the political equations in Karnataka.
Chief minister Siddaramaiah visited New Delhi after a gap of almost three months and met the Congress high command, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. According to insiders, the meeting was anything but cordial. Both Kharge and Gandhi expressed their displeasure about the state of affairs in Karnataka. Without mincing words, they told the chief minister to set his house right immediately.
Even before Siddaramaiah could return to Bengaluru, rumours started doing the rounds of corridors of power that the CM has been put on a tight performance improvement programme. The faction opposed to Siddaramaiah, led by his deputy and Karnataka State Congress president DK Shivakumar, started celebrations, hoping he would make it to the coveted post by the end of Monsoon season.
A few days later, the entire ruling party flew to Ahmedabad to attend the AICC session. There, Siddaramaiah got a chance to discuss with Rahul Gandhi the controversial caste census conducted during his previous regime. Gandhi, a strong advocate of caste census, agreed with the chief minister that it should be made public. Apparently, he instructed the powerful Lingayat and Vokkaliga ministers not to oppose it in public. Upon his return, a triumphant Siddaramaiah hurriedly convened a cabinet meeting and released the contents of the census. Though unhappy with the findings, both Lingayat and Vokkaliga ministers exercised caution, promising to study the census before getting back to the chief minister.
The findings of the census, however, have been leaked, turning Karnataka’s caste-ridden politics on its head. The beleaguered CM feels he is safer in his chair till they take a decision on the implementation of caste census, which might take a year or two.
According to leaked data, two politically and economically powerful castes—Lingayats and Vokkaligas— are in the third and fourth place after Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Muslims.
Lingayats and Veerashaiva (a sub-sect) together have a population of about 77 lakh. Vokkaligas have a population of about 62 lakh. Since these two dominant communities have also been categorised as Other Backward Classes (OBCs) along with Muslims, the total number of OBC population now stands at 70 per cent of Karnataka’s total population.
The SCs are about 1.10 crore and the STs are about 43 lakh, according to leaked data. The general category, including Brahmins, is just 30 lakh, it reveals. The contentious issue is Muslim population, which is about 76 lakh, higher than the Lingayats and Vokkaligas. Lingayats have always maintained that they are the largest community in the state, numbering almost 1.5 crore. These new revelations have ruffled the feathers of community leaders, who fear it will threaten their political dominance. The Vokkaligas have expressed same concerns.
Lingayats, led by industries and commerce minister MB Patil, have disputed the leaked numbers, claiming their population is still very high. Patil argued that many sub-castes among the Lingayats have mentioned their original caste for the benefit of reservations, not Lingayat faith in the census, though they follow Lingayat faith. Vokkaligas also make similar claims, dismissing the findings as unscientific.
Some people complain that no enumerator has ever visited them to conduct the caste census and its results are bogus. The government, however, dismissed such complaints.
The opposition BJP and JDS are closely and cautiously following the developments. The OBCs minus these two are upbeat and feel that it will completely change Karnataka’s socio-political scene in their favour.
Siddaramaiah is hopeful that till the census matter is settled, he is untouchable, and it will reconsolidate his AHINDA (an alliance of minorities, backward classes, SC/STs), further giving Congress a strong political platform to stop BJP-JDS in their tracks. Others, however, feel that the government has just thrown a stone at a beehive.
