With the opposition alliance INDIA aggressively pushing for caste census across the state and considering making it an issue in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, BJP is busy evolving a counter-strategy. The saffron party on Thursday held a meeting of its functionaries from across the country belonging to backward classes and elicited their opinion on the subject.
Former ministers KS Eshwarappa, Kota Srinivas Poojary and Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan, who belong to backward classes, attended the meeting led by BJP national president JP Nadda and Union home minister Amit Shah.
“The party high command sought opinions about the caste census, the current reservation status of backward classes in different states and what stand the party should take on the matter,” said Eshwarappa. The meeting also discussed the status of the caste census carried out in Karnataka in 2016 by the Congress government during Siddaramaiah’s previous regime.
“We told the high command that Congress itself is divided on the matter. While chief minister Siddaramaiah is keen on accepting the census report, deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar is opposing it,” Eshwarappa said.
Siddaramaiah has already announced his government will accept the caste census report by the backward classes commission in November. But Lingayats and Vokkaligas have been vehemently opposing it. The reason is that the census, as per the leaked data, has put their population much below what’s being considered now and they think this will end their hegemony in state politics.
Sources said the trio also discussed appointment of a new president for the Karnataka unit of BJP and opposition leaders in both houses of legislature. The party has not been able to find a replacement for incumbent state president Nalin Kumar Kateel, whose tenure ended a year ago. It has also failed to appoint opposition leaders for both the houses, though it’s been over five months since the new assembly was formed.
Earlier, the summoning of three leaders had stirred a debate on the long-pending appointments to the posts of state party president and leader of opposition in Karnataka.
Last week, Bengaluru North MP and former CM DV Sadananda Gowda was summoned by the BJP high command to the national capital. However, the top central leaders did not meet him.