No need for confusion, it’s not caste-based: Rao
Mangaluru: Karnataka’sproposed state census, being planned under the Backward Classes Commission, does not amount to a caste census, clarified Health & Family Welfare Minister and DK District-in-Charge Dinesh Gundu Rao on Sunday. Speaking to reporters in Mangaluru, he reiterated that only the Central Government has the authority to conduct a caste census. The state-level exercise is being carried out to assess social, economic, and educational conditions scientifically.
“There is no need for unnecessary confusion among the public,” Rao said. He acknowledged differing opinions but insisted that there is no hidden agenda or political motive. Rao challenged critics: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared that the caste census will be held—if BJP objects, let them. Meanwhile, “the state government already wants this census; we fully support it,” he added.
Discussing the objectives, Rao asked valid questions: who in society is truly backward, who deserves more support, and what special measures are required. He said that the Supreme Court has prescribed specific data metrics for such studies. Rao claimed some groups are attempting to politicise the matter. He carefully distanced Veerashaiva-Lingayats issue from government policy, calling it a personal belief rather than a public concern.
He also explained that questions and design of the survey are being shaped by several experts, and enumerators will collect data house to house to ensure accuracy. On religious classification, Rao mentioned that there are fewer than one lakh Hindu Christians in the state; if people have converted, then they should be counted by religion, not by listing them as a separate caste category. Identifying caste or religion should not become a tool for division, he cautioned.
Rao reminded that the Backward Classes Commission’s lists and reservation policies based on earlier reports—such as those under Jayaprakash Hegde and the Kantarajyu Committee—had been accepted by BJP when in power. He questioned why there is opposition now. On the administrative front, he said that the Commission has made all required preparations and that carrying out the survey should pose no difficulties. Finally, responding to a question on Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar’s frequent visits to Delhi, Rao described them as routine, occurring 3-4 times a week, with nothing remarkable.