Reservation based on caste population was necessary to build an equitable society, he said speaking at the silver jubilee celebrations of the Karnataka State Backward Castes Federation in Bengaluru.
“Everyone should get reservation according to their caste numbers. Only then can an equal society be built,” he said.
Ahinda, an acronym for minorities, OBCs and Dalits, has been a key constituency associated with Siddaramaiah’s political base.
Siddaramaiah said the lack of caste-wise data had weakened the state’s case in courts on reservation-related matters. Recalling his tenure as deputy chief minister in 1996, he said he had wanted a socio-economic and educational survey to assess the condition of different communities.
As chief minister in 2013, Siddaramaiah said, he commissioned a caste census under the then backward classes commission headed by Kantaraju. The report was subsequently rejected. He said another report prepared under the backward classes commission during his current tenure as chief minister has also not been made public because of a court order.
Siddaramaiah said he had asked Ramachandrappa, president of the Backward Castes Federation, to seek removal of the stay and facilitate release of the report.“Do something about the court’s stay order and get it cleared. I believe everyone here, including the chief minister, will listen to me. It must be implemented,” he said.
Siddaramaiah said he belonged to a backward caste and had spent his political career fighting social inequality and seeking equal opportunities for disadvantaged communities.
“I have no hesitation in saying that I belong to a backward caste,” he said, referring to the traditional caste hierarchy that denied educational and economic opportunities to large sections of society.
He also reiterated that he had withdrawn only from electoral politics, citing the rising cost of elections. “Our electoral system is very expensive. The electoral system needs to be improved,” he said, adding that his age was another reason for not contesting elections.
Siddaramaiah said he would continue to support the cause of social justice and fight against caste-based inequality.
“I will be with you and fight until you get justice, until you get equal opportunities, until the caste system is abolished in society,” he said.
