JD(S) leader urges Karnataka govt to convene all-party meeting to discuss caste census | Bengaluru

JD(S) leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy on Saturday urged the Karnataka government to immediately convene an all-party meeting to discuss the data from the Social and Educational Survey report, popularly known as ‘caste census’.

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He also insisted that heads of all communities — religious leaders, intellectuals, and community representatives — should be invited for consultation and that a mutually agreeable solution be arrived at through consensus.

Clarifying that JD(S) is not opposing the survey under any circumstances, the Yuva Janata Dal (Secular) president said, “However, the process of the survey has not been systematic. We have only questioned the authenticity of the leaked figures and pointed out that the data appears far from the truth.”

“The methodology of the survey itself is flawed. There is no clarity on whose households were surveyed and under what criteria. Hence, the entire report needs to be re-evaluated. The government must call for an all-party meeting to deliberate on the report,” he said.

Alleging that the chief minister travelled to Delhi to obtain Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s permission for releasing the caste census report, Nikhil said, “How did this data get leaked? Who is responsible? What was the intent? The government claimed it was a socio-educational survey. But what was released are caste-based statistics. There is no data on which communities are educationally or economically backward. Why weren’t those relevant statistics leaked instead?”

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The focus should have been on discussing the socio-educational survey, on the issues faced by the oppressed, and the formulation of government programms to help the deprived. This hasn’t happened, he said.

“While we welcome a report that addresses economic, social, and educational concerns, what they’ve released is being questioned by everyone,” he said.