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The Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission has decided to remove the 57 Christian sub-castes from the main list of categories that people could identify themselves as during the socio economic survey. However, those who wish to be identified by their caste and religion will still be counted in the ‘Others’ category. The survey, popularly and mistakenly called a ‘caste census’, is scheduled to begin on September 22.
The Commission’s move comes in response to objections raised by the BJP and various caste associations to the ‘caste list’ in the handbook it published for use by surveyors. This contained around 1,800 social identities, including 57 ‘Christian sub-castes’ such as ‘Vokkaliga Christian’, ‘Brahmin Christian’, ‘Kuruba Christian,’ etc. It assigned codes for each identity. This list excludes the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
The BJP and others had objected to this, alleging that this was an attempt to ‘divide Hindu society’ and demanded the removal of these entries. A delegation of BJP leaders met Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot and submitted a memorandum asking for the removal of these categories.
In response to this criticism, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that it was not the government that created these categories. He explained that these categories had been included because people had identified themselves as such during the previous survey conducted by the Commission headed by H Kantharaj.
Social Welfare Minister Shivaraj Tangadgi and Commission Chairman Madhusudan R Naik also issued statements in this regard.
A section of BJP leaders accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of encouraging religious conversion for his remarks that people were converting to other religions due to inequality.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, who is a Brahmin, has also written to the Commission saying that there was no such thing as a Brahmin Christian and that a person who converts to Christianity loses their caste.
Religion, caste, and sub-caste
The survey has around 60 questions including three on social identity. It allows people to identify their religion, caste, and sub-caste. The question on religion gives people seven options: Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, and Others, where people can mention how they identify themselves.
Although the 57 Christian sub-castes have been removed from the main list, those who choose to be identified as, for example, ‘Brahmin Christian’, will be recorded in the ‘Others’ category under religion.
Another group that is undecided on whether to identify themselves as a caste or religion are Lingayat-Veerashaivas. Lingayat politicians and religious leaders are split on whether Lingayats should identify as a separate religion or as a caste under Hinduism.
To count caste or religion?
Answering questions from reporters on whether or not the Commission would permit caste to be combined with Christian as a social identity, Siddaramaiah said in Gadag on September 20, that the Commission would take the final call on how such responses will be counted. “The Commission will take a call on removing unnecessary aspects. The Commission is a Constitutional body and the government has only given guidelines on how the survey is to be conducted.”
He repeated that what the Backward Classes Commission was conducting was not a just caste survey, but an exercise to determine caste-based social, economic, and educational inequalities. “It is a survey being done to provide equal opportunities to people by collecting not just information about their caste, but also about their economic, social, and educational status,” he said.
Commission Chairman Madhusudan Naik told reporters that while analysing the data from the 2015 survey, the Jayaprakash Hegde Commission had separated Christians from others. “I can’t comment on what we will do,” he said.
Postponement
Several BJP leaders have urged the government to postpone the survey as it is scheduled to be carried out in 15 days, which coincide with the Dasara vacation. Advocacy groups too had warned about the period allotted to the survey being insufficient, as the HN Nagamohan Das Commission took about a month to complete its survey for internal reservations for the Scheduled Castes.
The government has, however, said that the survey will begin as scheduled.
