'Need for relook at K'taka caste survey'

Former CM says the report, if accepted in the current form, will lead to polarisation & create tension in society

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As the Karnataka government is in a dock over the Socio-Economic and Educational Survey Report, which is based on 2015 data, former senior Congress leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister M Veerappa Moily tells Preetha Nair that the government should take a relook at the data and consult all political parties to reach a consensus. Excerpts:

The special Karnataka Cabinet meeting on caste census was deferred without any resolution. What is the reason?

The government has not taken a decision because there were different points of views on the report. Some of the ministers openly said that the populations of large caste groups, such as Lingayat and Vokkaliga, were found to be lesser than what had been previously extrapolated. When I released the report of the Chinnappa Reddy Commission when I was the Chief Minister in 1992, the population of Lingayats was much higher than the current report. How can the numbers go down after so many years? It can only increase. It is not correct to say that the numbers of the community have decreased. That requires reassessment.

Many including Congress leaders and the Opposition say that the report is "unscientific". Do you support the argument?