Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced in Koppal today that a controversial statewide caste census report will be discussed in a State Cabinet meeting. Meanwhile, the BJP claims this talk of census report adoption is a diversionary tactic to take focus away from his ‘involvement’ in the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam.
Earlier in the day, Congress MLA and CM’s economic adviser, Basavaraj Rayareddy, had asked Siddaramaiah that he should seek Cabinet approval for the Social and Economic Education Survey report this week and implement it by next month. The CM in response said he will discuss it with the minister for backward classes next week.
In an unrelated development, Siddaramaiah denied claims of flying to Delhi this month end to talk about the MUDA case with the Congress High Command amid a Lokayukta and Directorate of Enforcement (ED) probe against him. The CM was accused of “irregularities” in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi B M by the MUDA.
Speaking on the matter, Mahesh, a BJP spokesperson, said, “The caste census report is 200 per cent a diversion from the MUDA scam. The nation is seeing the truth about how he became so socialistic. The High Court judgment also indicated some illegality in the case.”
He added that another reason is to build some pressure within Congress, which is currently divided, despite portraying otherwise. “I had made this allegation 16 months back. They have been talking about the census for a while, without taking a decision. It is another attention diversion,” he stated.
The BJP spokesperson said the party should instead table the Justice Kempanna Commission report, which investigated the alleged illegal denotification of 541 acres at Bengaluru’s Arkavathy layout in 2017.
“Siddaramaiah should advise their high command to follow his footprint. Congress as a whole should return everything they looted in several cases of corruption.”
Talking about the caste census, BL Shankar, a Congress spokesperson, said CM Siddaramaiah had appointed a commission during his last term to enumerate data to introduce welfare programs and policies and that this discussion is a part of his efforts to take the same forward.
“MUDA has already been brought to the notice of the High Command. They are also aware of the land being transferred and that CM Siddaramaiah has no direct role in the allotment of sites. Some reports suggest the High Command will be coming to Karnataka to deliberate on this and other issues,” he said.
Political analyst Harish Ramaswamy said using the caste census to divert from MUDA may not work.
“Siddaramaiah may not be asked to resign as that might hurt the Congress’ AHINDA (backward classes plus minorities) vote bank. On the contrary, he might volunteer to resign as a matter of principle and save his honour, though the chances of that happening are remote.”
