‘It’s her choice’: Minister Santosh Lad on Sudha Murty’s decision to not join caste survey

BENGALURU: Labour Minister Santosh Lad on Thursday reacted to Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty’s decision not to participate in the socio-economic survey.

“Whatever she has said, it’s a way of expression. It’s her choice. As a government, we cannot force anyone to participate in this. Who is influential or not…it is subjective. It is very debatable. I don’t think it would have any impact on society. If she has taken her stand, I will respect her”, he stated.

#WATCH | Bengaluru: On reports of Infosys founder chairperson Sudha Murty opting out of Karnataka’s socio-economic survey, Karnataka Minister Santosh Lad says, “…It’s her choice. As a government, we cannot force anyone to come and share what they want to share… We only need… pic.twitter.com/ArQ0i1FEOV

— ANI (@ANI) October 16, 2025

The comment comes after Sudha Murty and her husband, Infosys founder Narayana Murthy, declined to participate in the socio-economic and education survey, commonly known as the caste survey in Karnataka, being conducted by the Congress-led government in the state.

Murty, in a self-attested letter to the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission, stated that the family’s refusal to participate in the survey was due to their belief that they do not belong to a backward community and therefore would not participate in this survey.

Infosys Founder Narayana Murthy and his wife Sudha Murty have declined to participate in the Karnataka State Socio-Economic Survey.

When approached by the survey officials, the Infosys couple stated they do not wish to be part of it.

In fact, the couple wrote their response… pic.twitter.com/h36OjCK1wT

— VSV Diaries (@vsvadivelfca) October 16, 2025

In the letter, Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty stated that they were refusing to provide personal details. “We and our family will not participate in the census, and we are confirming it through this letter,” the letter read.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced on Tuesday that government schools in the state will be closed from October 8 to October 18, allowing teachers involved in the ongoing social and educational survey to complete their work.

Karnataka’s socio-economic and educational survey started on September 22 and is scheduled to conclude on October 12 for the rest of the State, and October 24 for Bengaluru, following an extension from the original October 7 deadline. The survey aims to enumerate approximately seven crore people in the state and gain insight into their social and economic status within society. (ANI)