After bypoll sweep, Siddaramaiah govt gets set for caste survey report
The bypoll victories are bound to give Siddaramaiah courage to make public the findings of the caste survey, which was submitted eight months ago
Buoyed by an emphatic 3-0 win in Assembly by-elections, the Congress government in Karnataka appears set to release the much-discussed caste census report that can trigger major social churnings in the state.
The Congress sweep in Channapatna, Shiggaon and Sandur constituencies has come as a major boost to chief minister Siddaramaiah at a critical time when the Opposition had mounted grave charges against him.
Most importantly, the Congress victories indicate according to political pundits, a consolidation of what in Karnataka has come to be known as the crucial support of the AHINDA group.
Also read: By-poll results: Have won in people’s court, says Karnataka CM
Emphatic victories
AHINDA is a Kannada acronym for Alpasankhyataru (minorities), Hindulidavaru (backward classes) and Dalitaru (Dalits), whose interests the chief minister vocally champions.
The election battle saw the sons of two former chief ministers – Basavraj Bommai of the BJP and HD Kumaraswamy of Janata Dal (S) – and an actor who fought on a BJP ticket, lose decisively to Congress candidates.
CP Yogeshwara routed Nikhil Kumaraswamy by over 25,000 votes, Yasir Ahmed Khan outshone Bharat Bommai by more than 13,000 votes, while Bangaru Hanumanthappa lost to E Annapoorna by 9,000 votes.
Siddaramaiah and caste census
Congress sources said that the victories in the bypoll are bound to give courage to Siddaramaiah to make public the findings of the socio-economic and educational survey, popularly known as caste census. This report was submitted eight months ago by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes.
Siddaramaiah will now release the report, a Congress leader who did not want to be quoted told The Federal.
It is widely known that the report is expected to give a major jolt to the two dominant groups in the Hindu fold: Vokkaligas and Lingayats, who have tried to traditionally dominate the political landscape.
Also read: Controversies-hit Congress sweep Karnataka bypolls; setback for BJP, JD(S)
CM backers to meet at Hassan
Supporters of Siddaramaiah are now set to hold a ‘Siddaramaiah Swabhimani Samavesha’ (Siddaramaiah’s Self-esteem Convention) at Hassan on December 5.
Although, this convention is billed as an opportunity to thank the AHINDA community for backing the Congress, it could lead to events that can end with the release of the caste census report.
A similar convention was organided for AHINDA community on October 6. Siddaramaiah had then clarified that it was not against any other community but to raise the self-esteem of minorities, backward classes and Dalits.
Mobiliding AHINDA support
Minister for social welfare, HC Mahadevappa, told The Federal that the government has nothing to do with the meet, being held by leaders from five districts: Mysuru, Mandya, Kodagu, Chamarajanagar and Chikkamgaluru.
Siddaramaiah backers say the convention is to counter Janata Dal (S) founder leader and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, who has vowed to uproot the Congress government in Karnataka.
The convention will be a rallying cry for AHINDA – the main support base of the Congress. Similar meets will be held in four prominent centers of Karnataka in the days to come, a senior Congress leader said.
Pressure on CM
Congress sources said the chief minister will take up the caste census report for discussion at the upcoming cabinet meeting in a bid to take his pet social engineering project to its logical end.
Recently, Siddaramananda Swamiji of Kaginele Kanaka Guru Peetha urged Siddaramaiah to release the findings of the caste census done by the previous Congress government by spending ₹169 crores from the state exchequer.
Accusing the two dominant communities of pressurising Siddaramaiah against accepting the report, fearing that their revealed fallen numbers will adversely affect any decision or action that would follow, the seer asked the chief minister to go ahead “even if it costs (your) chair”.
BJP, JD(S) cut to size
Dwarakanath C S, chairman of the social welfare wing of Congress, felt that the by-election results show that the campaign by the JD(S) and BJP on the caste census did not resonate with the voters.
Congress star Rahul Gandhi has been a vociferous champion of the caste census, which he says aims to offer 90 per cent of the people their rightful due in the larger society.
Dwarakanath said: “Siddaramaiah will not face any problem by implementing the caste census… We hope the report will be a reality soon.”
Major morale booster
Congress leader Ramesh Babu agreed: “For the Congress and the government in Karnataka, the by-poll results have come as a big morale booster. The emphatic victory has helped to arrest the downward slide of the narrative against the government.”
Congress leaders admit that although local factors played an important role in the by-election victory, it was the joint leadership of Siddaramaiah and his deputy, DK Shivakumar, along with the state government’s guarantee schemes that clinched the battle.
For the Congress, the election outcome is an endorsement of its 18-month administration.