Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday said that the government will not take any rushed decision regarding the Socio-Economic and Education Survey report, popularly known as the 'caste census'. He said the cabinet will go through the report and discuss it, and a decision will be based on the facts. The caste census report has been a topic of discussion in the state soon after it was tabled before the cabinet. Shivakumar also termed the statements being made against the report as "political".
The Commission, under its then Chairman K Jayaprakash Hegde, had submitted the report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on February 29 last year, amid objections raised by certain sections of society and voices against it from within the ruling Congress.
"The CM has spoken about it. I have not yet seen the report as I was visiting Belagavi and Mangaluru yesterday. It has to be discussed in the cabinet. Apparently, the CM has said that it will be discussed in the Assembly too. No one will take any hasty decision," Shivakumar said. Speaking to reporters at Doddaballapur near Bengaluru, he said, "Some may be making political statements about it (caste census), but we will understand the facts and do justice for all."
Mallikarjun Kharge refused to comment
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said he does now know what is in the report and that's why he would not like to comment on it. "I don't know, because I have no information about what will be discussed in the cabinet or what is there in the report. If I get the report I can say something. Or if there is any clear decision from the April 17 cabinet meeting, I can react to it," he told reporters here.
According to the survey report, out of a total 5.98 crore citizens covered under the survey that was carried out in 2015, about 70 per cent or 4.16 crore come under various OBC categories, according to official sources. The Commission has recommended hiking the OBC quota from the current 32 per cent to to 51 per cent, they said.
(PTI inputs)