Former minister K.S. Eshwarappa welcomes Centre’s decision on caste census

Former Deputy CM K. S. Eshwarappa
| Photo Credit: File photo

Shivamogga

Former Karnataka minister K.S. Eshwarappa has welcomed the Central Government’s decision to include caste enumeration as part of the next census.

In a press conference in Shivamogga on May 2, Mr. Eshwarappa said the Congress party, which ruled for a long time since Independence, could not conduct the caste census. The Narendra Modi-led government had made such a decision. “The census helps all communities, not only the backward classes,” he said.

Referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s comments on the Centre’s decision, Mr. Eshwarappa said the Congress had asked the Centre to announce the schedule of the census within three months. “But why can Rahul Gandhi not ask his own party Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to release the caste census data collected 10 years ago? Who is stopping Siddaramaiah from releasing the report, which was ready seven years ago?”

Mr. Eshwarappa demanded that the Karnataka government release the report of the caste census immediately.

“When I was the leader of opposition in the Legislative Council, I had urged the State Government to release the report. But the CM did not release it. Certain forces within the Congress are opposing the report. If there are corrections to be made in the report, they can be done later. Let the CM release the report,” he urged.

Referring to the murder of Suhas Shetty in Mangaluru, Mr. Eshwarappa said the law and order had failed in the State. The Congress government had failed to control the activities of goondas, he remarked.