Bengaluru: Home minister G Parameshwara Tuesday stressed the need to make findings of the socio-economic and education survey report — commonly known as the caste census — public, despite strong opposition from the politically influential Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities.
The survey was conducted at a cost of Rs 160 crore and the report is scheduled to be debated at a cabinet meeting that was postponed twice and is now set for Oct 28.
"If the report is not placed before the people, it will be a waste," Parameshwara said. "People should at least know what is in it. If it is not made public, allegations will be made against our govt and the CM that we have covered up the report."
On concerns raised by Veerashaiva Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities, who are calling for the caste census not to be implemented, Parameshwara said, "Implementing the report is a different thing. What is there in making the report public? Decisions may happen differently at a later stage."
Asked about the govt's approach to contentious issues of caste, internal reservations among Scheduled Castes (SCs), and enhanced reservation demands from Panchamasali Lingayats, he said, "Our govt and chief minister Siddaramaiah have the capacity to deal with it. We will discuss these issues, keeping in mind the public cause, and make decisions accordingly."
On the Supreme Court ruling that reservation should not exceed 50%, Parameshwara said some states like Tamil Nadu (69%) have legally surpassed this limit by adding provisions to the ninth schedule of the Constitution. "Even in our state, there are demands by various communities regarding reservation. If we are to address those demands, we will also cross 50%. Discussions are ongoing," he said.