Ministers Came for Blows With Each Other at Cabinet Meeting on Caste Census Report, Claims LoP

BENGALURU: A special cabinet meeting on Thursday to discuss on socio-economic and educational report-2015 submitted by Backward Classes Commission to the State Government, saw uproarious scenes between some Ministers and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, claimed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Leader of Opposition in Assembly R. Ashoka.

It may be recalled here after the cabinet meeting, Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs H.K. Patil briefed media persons and stated “the discussion on socio-economic and educational report-2015 went smoothly.” However, Ashoka in Bengaluru on Friday said, at one point of time, Ministers almost came for blows with each other.

In a chat with reporters, Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka said he has information of noisy scenes at the cabinet meeting and some Ministers took on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over socio-economic and educational report-2015 and charged the Chief Minister of “glorifying” castes as per his wishes. As per leaked contents of the report, Muslims form the single largest caste in Karnataka.

Some even lashed out at Siddaramaiah, Ashoka said and stated they even took to task Siddaramaiah saying “You are not only one who brought the Congress party to power in the State?”

Through socio-economic and educational report-2015, Ashoka observed, Siddaramaiah intends to save his chair and accused Siddaramaiah of having no interest in castes except to safeguard his chair.

He accused Siddaramaiah of having designs to split castes. After splitting Lingayats, he charged Siddaramaiah of aiming to cause division in the Vokkaliga community. In Karnataka, Lingayats and Vokkaligas are politically dominant castes.

If Siddaramaiah is continued as Chief Minister then, socio-economic and educational report-2015 would be halted otherwise Siddaramaiah would take to streets over the report (to gain sympathy of the people), stated Ashoka.