BJP calls caste survey ‘a game of chess’, alleges political motives
BJP leaders accused Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah of political motives behind the caste census, while he defended it as a measure for social equality.
Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday reiterated their accusations implying alleged political motives of the chief minister Siddaramaiah behind the ongoing socio-economic survey, even as the chief minister mounted the now-familiar defence of the exercise, referring to it as a measure to advance equality.
BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra addressing reporters in Kalaburagi on Tuesday, insisted that his party was not opposed to the caste census itself but to the intent behind it. “The state government is playing a game of chess in the name of the caste census. They are trying to divide Hindu society. Does the state government even have the authority for this?” he asked.
While clarifying the BJP’s position, he said, “We are not opposing the caste census, but there is confusion about the CM’s intentions. Is Siddaramaiah conducting this for genuine social justice to the backward and oppressed communities, or to cook his own political rice?” He added that the chief minister’s approach “has led to public doubt.”
Vijayendra also raised questions about Siddaramaiah’s past record, pointing to the Kantharaj Committee report prepared during his earlier tenure as chief minister. “Didn’t you spend ₹180 crore on the Kantharaj report? Why didn’t you implement it even when you were the Chief Minister?” he asked. At the same time, he said the BJP had no objection to the cost of the current survey, estimated at ₹500 to 600 crore.
The BJP leader accused Congress governments, both in Karnataka and nationally, of avoiding bold decisions on caste enumeration. “Since Independence, no Congress or UPA government has taken such bold decisions about a caste census. Even though the Manmohan Singh government had decided on it, Rahul Gandhi opposed it,” he said.
He further argued that the survey included unnecessary questions. “What has the High Court said? Why are you keeping questions that don’t serve any purpose? There are more than 60 questions, and not all of them are mandatory,” Vijayendra said.
The BJP’s sharp criticism followed Siddaramaiah’s attack on the party a day earlier, when he accused its state leaders of hypocrisy for opposing a survey that the party’s central leadership now supports. “This is a survey of all seven crore people of Karnataka. It is not against anyone, it is in favour of everyone,” Siddaramaiah said. “The primary objective is to achieve social, economic, and educational equality, and to ensure equal share and equal life for all.”
The chief minister dismissed the BJP’s objections as an attempt to protect privilege. “They want wealth, opportunities, and representation to remain concentrated in the hands of a few. They want the poor to remain poor, the backward to remain backward, and women to continue to be denied opportunities. This is the Manuvadi mindset within BJP leaders,” he said.
Siddaramaiah also argued that the survey would benefit all groups, including forward castes. “This reality is what the BJP does not want to acknowledge,” he said. He pointed to other states as precedent, noting that both Bihar and Telangana had undertaken similar surveys, with the BJP not voicing the same resistance. “Even the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre is now moving ahead with a caste census,” he said.
Former deputy chief minister Govind Karjol echoed the criticism, saying it was the Congress, not the BJP, that was creating confusion. “We are not the ones creating confusion over the caste census; it is the Congress-led government and the Congress high command that are doing so,” he said.
Karjol also raised questions about how caste categories were being defined. “Are there Christian Lingayats? Are there Jain Panchamasalis? Are there Christian Dalits?” he asked. Clarifying his stance, he said, “Don’t refer to anyone as Christian Dalits. When a person converts to another religion, from the day of conversion, they are no longer entitled to the privileges or associations of their previous religion. That connection with their past (pre-conversion) status is severed.”
