Caste Census report will be discussed in state cabinet on April 17: State Minister

BENGALURU:Karnataka Minister Ramalinga Reddy said on Tuesday that the Caste Census report will be discussed in a special cabinet meeting on April 17 and after that in the state assembly too and soon everybody can go through it and give suggestions.

The State Minister also slammed the opposition, JD(S) and BJP, who are asking for a re-survey and questioned the previous BJP government that ruled the state from 2019-2023.

“JD(S) and BJP people are asking for re-survey. (BY) Vijayendra (State president of BJP Karnataka and MLA of Shikaripura) suggested throwing it (the caste census report) in the dustbin. Who ruled the state from 2019 to 2023? H Kantharaju was nominated by the Congress government, and Jayaprakash Hegde was nominated by the BJP government. What were they doing for 4 years and in the 1 year of coalition government?…,” he told.

Kantharaju is the former chairman of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes who headed the 2015 socio-economic survey, while Jayaprakash Hegde is the former Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.

He also said that everybody can access the Caste Census report and provide their suggestions.

“This (Caste Census report) will be discussed on 17th April (in the State Cabinet). This will be discussed in the Assembly as well as the Council. It will become a public document. Everybody can go through this report. If they have any suggestions, if there is anything wrong, they can suggest to rectify it….,” Reddy added.

On Monday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that a special cabinet meeting has been called on April 17 to discuss the Caste Census report.

#WATCH | On Karnataka caste survey, Karnataka Minister Ramalinga Reddy says, “JD(S) and BJP people are asking for re-survey. Vijayendra suggested throwing it in the dustbin. Who ruled the state from 2019 to 2023? H Kantharaju was nominated by the Congress Government, and… pic.twitter.com/5fhSVOXScY

— ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2025

Siddaramaiah also told mediapersons that their government will work hard to “build the kind of society that Babasaheb Ambedkar wanted to build.”

“Our government will work hard to build the kind of society that Babasaheb Ambedkar wanted to build…A special cabinet meeting has been called to discuss the Caste Census report on April 17. It will be a single-subject discussion,” Siddaramaiah said on the birth anniversary of the Constitution architect.

Earlier, Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy accused Siddaramaiah of using the caste census as a political gimmick to divert public attention from the Congress government’s failures.

Speaking to mediapersons near Freedom Park, Kumaraswamy said, “There is no meaning to the caste census report that is now being brandished. The Kantharaj Commission’s report was prepared a decade ago. Why wasn’t it implemented all this while? Now, with the public outrage over failed guarantees, rampant corruption, and price hikes reaching a boiling point, the government is trying to mislead people with the drama of the caste census.”

“If you truly want a caste census, then conduct a fresh survey and submit a new report. The last 10 years have brought significant demographic changes,” Kumaraswamy stated. He accused the Congress of exploiting caste for political gain, warning that this divisive agenda could create social unrest.

The Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes has submitted the caste census (socio, economic, and educational survey) report to the Siddaramaiah-led cabinet. If released, the caste census report will be the second by a Congress-ruled state after Telangana. (ANI)