NEW DELHI: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Friday clarified that “no one has opposed” the Socio-Economic and Educational Survey – popularly known as “caste census” in the cabinet meeting held yesterday evening.
“Yesterday, it (caste census report) was discussed in the cabinet, it was incomplete, and it has been posted for another day. The subject will be discussed in the next cabinet. No one has opposed it,” Siddaramaiah told reporters.
He further asserted that the ministers did not engage in any heated arguments during the discussion.
“Media reports that some ministers indulged in a loud argument with each other are false,” he said, according to news agency PTI.
The anticipated special cabinet meeting regarding the contentious “caste census” concluded inconclusively on Thursday, with Karnataka’s government pushing discussions to its next sitting, May 2.
Deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar also denied any confrontational discussions at the cabinet meeting.
“We have shared thoughts, that’s all. Speaking in raised voices or arguments, nothing of that sort happened. Suggestions were given. Other than that nothing was decided,” he said.
Facing pressure from Karnataka’s two dominant communities — Vokkaligas and Veerashaiva-Lingayats — who slammed the survey as “unscientific” and called for a fresh one, the cabinet chose not to take a firm stance on the issue.
According to PTI sources, several ministers expressed concerns about the survey report, citing complaints about its unscientific nature, outdated information, and undercounting issues.
Following which, Siddaramaiah requested all ministers to submit their views, either in writing or verbally, before the next cabinet discussion.
Despite reports suggesting that some ministers spoke in an “upset tone” about the survey report, other cabinet members maintained that the meeting proceeded in a cordial atmosphere.
The survey has faced opposition from various community groups, including dissenting voices within the ruling Congress party.
While some leaders and organisations representing Dalits and OBC groups support the survey’s publication, citing the Rs 160 crore of public funds spent on it, others continue to oppose its implementation.
