Caste census needed to remove inequities in society, Siddaramaiah

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the caste surveys were needed to remove social, economic and political inequities in the society

Firmly rejecting the charge that caste census would divide the society, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on October 7 said the caste surveys were needed to remove social, economic and political inequities in the society.

When his attention was drawn to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reported opposition to caste census, Mr Siddaramaiah said the economic, social and political status of different castes in the country after 76 years of independence should be known to take up poverty alleviation programmes and ensure equality in the society.

Also read: The impact of the Bihar caste survey | Explained

Caste system prevails in the country. “There was a need to gather data on the status of different castes on social, economic and political scale so that everybody is brought to the mainstream”, he said while responding to queries from reporters at the airport in Mysuru on Saturday.

When asked if the caste census was dividing the society, Mr Siddaramaiah replied with emphatic no. “No, definintely not”, he remarked.

He sought to question Mr Modi’s rhetoric on inclusive growth. Referring to the Prime Minister’s oft-repeated slogan of ‘Sab Ka Saath, Sab Ka Vikas”, Mr Siddaramaiah said the BJP does not give tickets to Muslims to contest elections and wondered how they can achieve inclusive growth by ignoring the community.

He said the BJP’s actions do not tally with their statements. “Facts are different from their statements”, he said.