Bengaluru: The controversial caste census report submitted by the Backward Classes Commission to the Congress-led government in Karnataka has pegged the Muslim population in the state at 18.08 per cent and recommends 8 per cent reservation for the community, sources confirmed Sunday.
Currently, the Muslims are getting a 4 per cent reservation in the state.
The caste census report was submitted to the state cabinet Friday (April 10), and the state government is convening a special cabinet meeting April 17 to decide on the report’s recommendations. However, no official statement has been issued to the media regarding the report’s contents. Nonetheless, details presented in the cabinet meeting have surfaced in the public domain.
Furthermore, sources confirmed that the caste census report recommends increasing the total reservation to more than 75 per cent in Karnataka. The survey estimates the population of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) at 4.18 crore, Scheduled Castes (SCs) at 1.09 crore, and Scheduled Tribes (STs) at 42.81 lakh.
According to sources, the report indicates that OBC groups constitute about 70 per cent of the state’s population.
One of the major recommendations of the report is to increase the reservation quota for OBCs from the current 31 per cent to 51 per cent.
As per sources, the report places the Muslim population under Category 2B at 18.08 per cent, with a total population of 75.25 lakh. The report recommends increasing their reservation from 4 per cent to 8 per cent. This is higher than the Vokkaliga community, which is currently considered the second-largest population group in the state. The Vokkaliga population is recorded at 61.68 lakh, comprising 10.31 per cent of the total. The report suggests increasing their reservation to 7 per cent, according to sources.
The census report lists the Lingayat community population at 66.35 lakh, comprising 11.09 per cent — lower than the Muslim population. The report recommends increasing their reservation to 8 per cent. Currently, the Lingayat community is considered the largest in the state.
The Scheduled Castes are shown to have the highest population in the state. The report places the SC population at 1.09 crore and recommends maintaining the reservation at 24.1 per cent. The Scheduled Tribes’ population is 42.81 lakh, and the reservation of 9.95 per cent has been recommended.
The newly created Category 1A group — which includes communities such as Golla, Uppara, Mogaveera, Koli, and other marginalised groups — has a population of 73.92 lakh. The report recommends a 12 per cent reservation for this group, according to sources.
Category 2A, which includes communities like Madivala, Ediga, and others, has a population of 77.78 lakh, with a recommended reservation of 10 per cent.
The findings of the report are expected to trigger a major debate and controversy in the state and could significantly impact the political landscape.
Home Minister G. Parameshwara and Minister Zameer Ahmad Khan, while defending the Muslim quota in tenders, earlier stated that Muslims comprise between 16 to 18 per cent of the state’s population.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders have indicated that the Congress-led government is prepared to increase the reservation limit in the state. Labour Minister Santhosh Lad stated that the Central government has already breached the 50 per cent cap by implementing a 10 per cent reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).
Congress MLC B.K. Hariprasad asserted that the caste census provides the government with empirical data to justify increasing the reservation limit beyond 50 per cent in the state.
The Karnataka government will not take any hasty decision regarding the caste census report, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said Friday.
When asked about discussions on the caste census report in the Cabinet meeting, Shivakumar said: “The Law Minister opened the report, but no MLA or minister has seen it. We will have a detailed discussion on the matter.”
The Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities have maintained that the caste census report is flawed.
Sources said the report was submitted in more than 46 volumes, and the data was also submitted in two CDs to the government on various aspects of the caste survey.
In 2014, Siddaramaiah (during his first tenure as the Chief Minister) ordered the Karnataka Socio-Economic and Educational Census. A committee headed by the then Backward Classes Commission Chairman, H. Kantharaju, did the survey at a cost of around Rs 169 crore. The report was ready by 2016; it was, however, put in cold storage by subsequent governments.
The Congress and JD(S) coalition government headed by H.D. Kumaraswamy and the BJP government headed by B.S. Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai also kept the report pending.
In 2020, the Karnataka government, headed by the BJP, appointed Jayaprakash Hegde as the Commission chief, but the report was not made public.
Hegde submitted the final report to the Siddaramaiah government February 29, 2024. Opposition parties, the BJP and JD(S), have opposed the implementation of the report.
Communities such as the Lingayats and Vokkaligas have alleged that the report has done them wrong in terms of their population representation.
Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R. Ashoka, said Friday that the caste census report prepared by the Siddaramaiah government was not scientific. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on the issue, Ashoka said: “The people conducting the caste census did not visit every household. This report was prepared under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s instructions. Since it has political motives, no one will accept it. I, too, am saying that a caste census should be conducted. But this report was designed to sow discord among castes for someone’s benefit.”
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, February 18, declared that the caste census was conducted scientifically and that his government will implement its report without any doubt. “Our government supports the caste census. We have accepted the caste census report and will certainly implement it in the coming days. There is no need for any doubt regarding this,” he assured.
IANS
