Caste census row: BJP questions omission of Muslim sub-castes

Bengaluru: Karnataka BJP has questioned the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission on its decision not to categorise Muslim subcastes in the caste and sub-caste list prepared for the census. The state government has decided to conduct a fresh social and educational survey for 15 days from September 22 to October 7 during the Dasara holidays.

Speaking to the media at the BJP state office, ‘Jagannath Bhavan’, in Bengaluru on Tuesday, BJP state general secretary and MLA V. Sunil Kumar said that a meeting of party leaders was also held. “When we examined the list of 1,400 castes, we noticed that Muslims and Muslim sub-castes were completely left out. Earlier, former chairman of the commission Jayaprakash Hegde had announced that there were 90 castes among Muslims. Why the Commission omitted this while preparing the list of 1,400 castes has not been clarified,” Sunil Kumar said. “There is much confusion regarding the caste list and the criteria applied. These have come to light through the Commission Chairman’s press statement. Next week, a BJP delegation will meet the Commission. Today’s meeting has resolved that we will place our doubts before the Commission and seek clarification on how the survey should be conducted,” Sunil Kumar stated.

He further stated that the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission has granted seven days’ time to file objections regarding the caste and sub-caste list. Since festivals and consecutive public holidays fall within this period, we have requested that this seven-day window be extended further, said Sunil Kumar.

He said, “We have written to the Commission Chairman from the BJP’s side, requesting an additional 10 days for filing objections.” The Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission published the caste and sub-caste lists on August 22 in newspapers. It announced that if any caste or sub-caste had been omitted or wrongly entered, or if there were suggestions regarding the list, the public and organisations could submit objections within seven days, Sunil Kumar stated.