Amid reports that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar are opposed to each other on releasing the State’s caste census report, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge publicly criticised Mr. Shivakumar’s stand in Rajya Sabha on Monday. “All upper caste people are united on this,” Mr. Kharge charged, when the BJP members sought his opinion on the differences within the State government.
During a discussion on two Bills related to Jammu and Kashmir, senior BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi said the love the Congress shows towards Other Backward Communities (OBCs) is a farce and cited the example of Mr. Shivakumar’s stand on caste census. “Mr. Kharge must tell us when will your government make the caste survey report public. The Deputy Chief Minister signed on a petition against making the report public,” Mr. Modi said.
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Parliamentary Affairs Ministe Pralhad Joshi, on his part, noted that besides the Deputy CM, Congress MLAs and Veerashaiva Mahasabha leaders have opposed it as well.
Mr. Kharge claimed that Mr. Shivakumar and the BJP are against the caste census report. “He is also opposing, you are also opposing,” Mr. Kharge said. “Both are one in this issue. This is the character of caste. Upper caste people will be united internally,” he said.
