Following the Karnataka government’s decision to junk an earlier caste survey in favour of a fresh count, the BJP has accused the Congress of “always deceiving and betraying” Other Backward Classes. Senior BJP leader Bhupender Yadav also asked for fixing accountability, saying that over Rs 165 crore of public money was spent in carrying out the now-dumped caste survey, speaking with media persons.
Yadav claimed the Congress has a history of betraying the OBC interests, saying that its governments at the Centre ignored the Kaka Kalelkar Commission report on empowering the backward classes and opposed the Mandal Commission recommendations.
According to Yadav, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the decision for a new caste survey was not his government’s but the Congress leadership’s, comparing it to “interference” from Sonia Gandhi-headed National Advisory Council in the UPA government.
The Modi government worked for the socio-economic empowerment of the backward classes with its numerous schemes. It also accorded constitutional status on the National Commission for Backward Classes, he said, adding that the Karnataka government’s decision highlights the internal contradictions of the Congress
Meanwhile, the Karnataka CM has dismissed allegations of being under “pressure from dominant communities,” saying that objections to the earlier survey came from both dominant and deprived communities.
