CM Siddaramaiah on Centre’s caste census

DAVANAGERE

The central government is only doing the caste census, we will conduct a social, educational and economic survey, said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Speaking to media persons on Monday, he said, “The central government has never said that it will conduct a social, educational and economic survey. But what we are doing is a social, educational and economic survey. This also includes a caste census. To conduct a survey, we need to know about the social, educational and economic aspects. Some communities have expressed objections to the old caste census. Also, according to Section 11/1, if ten years have passed since the survey, a new survey can be conducted,” he said.

An argument broke out between farmer leader Ballur Ravikumar and police personnel who were about to make a request to the Chief Minister. When farmer leader Ravikumar was about to make a request, the police pulled him away and immediately after that Ravi Kumar blocked the Chief Minister's car. Finally, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah called him and received the request and got information. Later, Ravikumar expressed his anger against the police. Later, SP Uma Prashant intervened and clarified the situation.

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“The central government is copying our state's caste census, let it be done, I have no objection,” Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar took a sarcastic dig at the central government. Speaking after participating in a mass wedding programme organized on the occasion of MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa's 95th birthday, he said, the purpose of conducting the caste census is to empower the poor socially, educationally and economically.