BJP says it is not opposed to caste census; Siddaramaiah asks party to walk the talk

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah defends use of caste census report against BJP allegations, urges national implementation for social justice.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday sought to turn the tables on the Opposition BJP, which has accused him of using the caste census report to divert public attention from the alleged irregularities in MUDA involving his wife and safeguard his post.

Urging Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashok, who had earlier in the day stated that the BJP had in principle no opposition to caste census, to bring pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up caste census at the national level along with general Census, the Chief Minister said, “If you fail to do this, we will have to conclude that you are, in fact, trying to create a controversy out of the caste census report only to protect yourself from the recent allegations levelled against you.” He was hinting at Mr. Ashok returning two parcels of land in Bengaluru to circumvent legal problems in a denotification case.

Mr. Ashok had said commitment to social justice, by bringing the oppressed communities to the mainstream through political, socio-economic and educational development was an integral part of the BJP’s ideology of antyodaya, adding that the party would always support any initiative aimed at implementing it. He had said the BJP was only opposed to using caste census as a dice in the political game of survival, posing a series of questions to the Chief Minister.

Responding to it, the Chief Minister said he was relieved to see Mr. Ashok’s statement that the BJP does not have any opposition to the caste census, but wondered why none of the BJP-ruled States had shown the courage to take up such an exercise. “I am confident that your party’s dream of antyodaya will become a reality through the implementation of caste census if you walk the talk,” he said.

In an obvious reference to the opposition by some of the Congress leaders to the caste census that was pointed out by Mr. Ashok, Mr. Siddaramaiah said, “Please don’t worry about the contentions within our party as we will resolve them.”

He maintained that all the leaders of the Congress had accepted the caste census in principle. “Baseless doubts have been triggered among some people due to false propaganda of the Opposition parties. Some others have confusion due to wrong opinions. We will soon take a decision on implementing the caste census report by resolving the doubts and suspicion among people, including heads of mutts, through talks,” he said.

Taking serious exception to Mr. Ashok terming the report as unscientific, the Chief Minister wondered how could the Leader of the Opposition come to such a conclusion when the contents of the report are yet to be made public and even he (CM) himself has not read it.