Congress leader and former chief minister, Siddaramiah’s plan  to demand the release of the  controversial caste census report  from the BJP government   during the assembly session ,beginning on Monday , appears to be running into a problem

It  is largely because of the growing rift within the party  over the issue , with the dominant members of the Lingayat and Vokkaliga  communities   objecting to the move. This became clear during the  recent meeting of Congress legislators  here , it is learnt.

While Siddaramiah’s supporters reiterated the need to raise the issue in the assembly , senior party  leaders from the dominant sects  argued otherwise ; even  raising their voice against the report itself.

Even though ,  as the state’s chief minister it was Siddaramiah  who had ordered the census to be undertaken in 2015, , the report  was  neither  accepted   nor released by his  government.

The decision, perhaps,  was also prompted by some leaked    portions  of the census which created quite a furore.  According to this content ,  the population of the weaker sections, including the minorities,   had surpassed that of the Lingayats and Vokkaligas.  In fact, the numbers of the majority sections were reported to have fallen sharply.

Even though the authenticity of the  leaked matter  could not be verified , the Lingayat and Vokkaliga members  in the Congress and the BJP, as well,  began voicing their concern  while  questioning the conclusions.  Besides, it was claimed that  the publication of the report  could lead to a social upheaval in the state.

This apart, a section in the Congress  also feels  that  the party had burnt its fingers  in  the 2018 assembly polls, evidenced by its poor performance,     following its campaign for a separate religious identity for the Lingayat community. Accordingly, these leaders fear a repeat of that experience in the 2023 elections , in the event the party continues to get embroiled in the caste conflict.

 This is not all. Members from the Vokkaliga and Lingayat community want the party,    particularly, Siddaramiah, to restrain himself ,for now. They argue that as the Congress high command has set up a committee under  senior leader ,Veerappa Moily, to examine the issue of a caste census at the national level ,  it would be appropriate to await  the panel’s report ,first.

In fact, state party president, D K Shivakumar,  a Vokkaliga to boot, also appears to have echoed similar   sentiments.  The ball ,inevitably, is now in Siddaramiah’s court.