“Who Controls Karnataka’s Backward Classes Commission?” BJP’s Narayanaswamy Questions Christian Tags in Caste Survey
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy has alleged that the Karnataka Permanent Backward Classes Commission is being run by “remote control from elsewhere” and not by its own members. He claimed the state government’s ongoing socio-educational survey is a “bundle of confusion” and accused the Congress of pursuing an “anti-Hindutva agenda.”
A BJP delegation met the Commission’s Chairman in Bengaluru, demanding that the controversial Christian tags assigned to 15 Scheduled Caste (SC) and one Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities be officially withdrawn. Narayanaswamy told reporters that listing castes such as “Adi Andhra Christian, Adi Karnataka Christian, Adi Dravida Christian, Holaya Christian, Madiga Christian, Banjaras, Valmiki Christian, and others” was unconstitutional and misleading.
BJP’s Objections
- Narayanaswamy pointed out that in previous caste studies—including the Sadashiva Commission, Nagamohan Das Commission, Kantaraju Commission, and Jayaprakash Hegde Commission—no Christian prefixes were included.
- “If Dalits convert to Christianity, they are not recognized as Scheduled Castes under law. How then can the Commission list them as Dalit Christians and promise reservation? Who gave them this authority?” he asked.
- The BJP delegation demanded an official notification clarifying that these tags have been removed from the survey’s app interface and not just hidden temporarily.
The BJP delegation comprised former Union Minister E. Narayanaswamy, state general secretary and MLA V. Sunil Kumar, MLC N. Ravikumar, state vice president N. Mahesh, state secretary Sharanu Tallikeri, former MP S. Muniswamy, former MLA Y. Sampangi, former MLC M.D. Lakshminarayana, Bengaluru Central district president Saptagiri Gowda, retired IAS officer and party leader Anil Kumar, state spokesperson H. Venkatesh Dodderi, media convenor Karunakar Khasale, co-convenor Prashanth Kedanji, SC Morcha vice president Hoodi Manjunath, and SC Morcha state office secretary Prashanth Kumar.
The Controversy
On August 23, the Commission had published a list of 1,400 castes in advertisements in newspapers, where 48 Hindu castes were tagged as Christian. Following protests, the Chairman announced on September 21 that 33 castes were hidden from the app to “avoid confusion.” The BJP, however, insists that all 15 SC Christian categories still remaining in the database must be formally deleted and a public clarification issued.
Narayanaswamy warned that the Congress government’s mishandling of the caste survey will lead to “major data distortions, confusion, and social unrest.” He said the Commission would be held responsible if corrective measures are not taken immediately.
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