Bengaluru: Through the decision to conduct another caste census, the Congress High Command has delivered a slap in the face to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. This is a defeat for CM Siddaramaiah and a victory for Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar, said Opposition Leader R. Ashoka.

Speaking to reporters, he stated that the re-conduction of the caste census has caused embarrassment and defeat for CM Siddaramaiah, while it is a victory for Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar. “We had all opposed this report. The Congress High Command also felt that this report was not right. The High Command has given a slap in the face to Siddaramaiah. Despite the CM’s insistence that he would implement the report no matter what, he has now gone back on his words, so it would be appropriate for him to resign. Rs. 160 crore has been wasted, and they don’t have the funds to conduct another survey. They must answer for this,” he demanded.

On behalf of Kannadigas, R. Ashoka said he is raising questions to Siddaramaiah, as follows:

Is it sacred only if it comes from the High Command’s conch?

This makes one thing clear: he has no trust in the people of the state, religious leaders, or community heads. Is he merely a follower of the High Command’s orders?

Who will conduct the survey?

Schools have already started, and using teachers for such a massive task at this time would completely disrupt academic activities, directly impacting children’s futures. So, who will the government deploy to conduct this survey within these 90 days?

Online survey - an illogical step?

The idea of conducting the survey online seems like another illogical step. When many literate people are still unfamiliar with online systems, how can such a survey be feasible? How will the accuracy of information and identification be ensured? What measures will the government take to prevent incorrect data entries?

Who is responsible for the Rs 167 crore wasteful expenditure?

Who is accountable for the massive amount already spent on the caste census? The earlier Kantharaju-Jayaprakash Hegde report has now been discarded like chaff. That report cost taxpayers Rs. 167 crore. Who will recover this money?

Is this a grand drama to cover up the stampede tragedy ?

Above all these developments, there are strong suspicions that the Chief Minister and his High Command are staging a grand drama to divert attention from the recent IPL victory celebration tragedy. Is this truly an attempt to shift public focus elsewhere?

Struggle reaches logical conclusion

When the BJP protested against the scam in the Valmiki Development Corporation, CM Siddaramaiah had admitted to the mistake. The Enforcement Directorate conducted raids much later. It has been revealed through investigations that the scam money was used for the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress leaders who misappropriated the poor’s money must be punished, he said.