Caste census will not divide society: Siddaramaiah

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said the caste census will not divide society.

“There is a need to ascertain the economic, political and social status of different castes after 76 years of independence. Ours is a caste-based society. The statistics are important to bring those castes who are politically, socially and economically not part of the mainstream. Caste census is needed for this purpose,” he said, while speaking to reporters.

He added that social and economic surveys should be conducted, but they will not divide society.

Referring to one of his predecessors, Siddaramaiah said former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy had not accepted the caste report in 2019 when Kantharaju was president of the Backward Classes Commission.

“Now, the commission is headed by another person and I have asked him to submit the original census report. He has told me that he would submit the report in November,” he said.

He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi keeps on saying ‘sab ka saath, sab ka vikas’, but does not give tickets to Muslims to contest elections. “There is a difference in making statements while the ground reality is different,” he said.

Asked about state government schemes, the chief minister said there are financial hurdles to providing guarantee schemes. “We have sought Rs 4,860 for drought relief. There is crop loss in 42 lakh hectares. The total loss is Rs 30,000 crore. But as per the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) package, we have sought Rs 4,860 crore,” he said.

He said three central teams are visiting 11 districts in the state to assess the drought. “Based on their report, the central government will give compensation,” he added.