Caste Census in Survey: Why Vokkaligas and Lingayats in Karnataka Raised Objections

In a significant move, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) has approved the inclusion of caste enumeration in the upcoming national population census, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Tuesday. The decision marks a major policy shift and comes amid rising demands for caste-based data from opposition parties.

While making the announcement, Vaishnaw lashed out at the Congress and other members of the INDIA bloc, accusing them of politicising the issue for electoral gains. "Congress has always opposed caste census. Now they want to use it as a political tool," he said.

The Union Minister further argued that standalone surveys conducted by states have led to confusion and social discord. "Surveys like these create doubts in society. To ensure the social fabric remains intact, caste data should be gathered through the official census process - not through political manoeuvring," he added.

The move follows a longstanding demand from several regional parties, including the Congress and its allies in the INDIA bloc, who have pushed the Centre to initiate a nationwide caste census. Notably, Congress-ruled Karnataka recently conducted its own version - the 'Social and Educational Survey' - popularly referred to as a caste census.

However, the Karnataka survey has sparked backlash from the state's influential Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities. Leaders from both groups allege that the decade-old report fails to adequately represent their numbers and interests, demanding a comprehensive review.

The report, which the Congress-led government accepted in April 2024, claims Lingayats form 11.09% (66.35 lakh) and Vokkaligas 10.31% (61.68 lakh) of the state's population. These numbers have sparked widespread dissent from both communities, with their leaders calling the survey "unscientific," "outdated," and "not reflective of ground realities."

Both Lingayat and Vokkaliga leaders allege that the survey failed to cover all households, especially in urban areas. They also claim that many sub-castes affiliated with their communities were misclassified under broader Hindu categories, artificially lowering their numerical strength.