Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has asked political leaders not to oppose the caste census based merely on hearsay. “It seems to me that those who are opposing the caste census don’t know what the report contains. No one should oppose based on hearsay and wrong assumptions. We should all welcome it and try to understand it once it is released. We should not begin discussions even before the release of the report. Let it be released, and then let us see,” he said in Bagalkot on November 23 while responding to questions by journalists about the opposition to the report by some dominant caste groups and political leaders.
About JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy’s allegation that a caste census would divide the society, the CM said that such claims were baseless. “Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has released the State caste census report. What were the implications? Did the society in Bihar get divided? No. We should have enough data before we make any statement in public,” he said.
CM would speak to the State Backward Classes Commission Chairman Jayaprakash Hegde about his complaint that the original report of the Kantharaj Commission is missing.
