K'taka govt searching for caste within religion, says BJP on caste census

Bengaluru, Sep 6 (IANS) The Karnataka government, during the caste census, is attempting to identify castes within religions and even inventing castes that do not exist, alleged Anil Thomas, State President of the BJP Minority Morcha on Saturday.

Speaking at a press conference at the BJP state office, Jagannath Bhavan in Bengaluru, he claimed that the reports prepared under the leadership of Kantharaju (2014–15) and Hegde had been thrown into the dustbin by the then Siddaramaiah government.

“That government created a divisive policy by inserting 44 sub-castes under the Christian community. Now, that number has been raised to 52,” he pointed out.

“There is no caste in Christianity. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s government included leaders such as K.J. George, Ivan D’Souza, J.R. Lobo, and Prof. Jaffed. Have they lost their sense? Don’t they know that there is no caste system in Christianity?” he asked.

He further claimed, “By categorising Christians as Kuruba Christians, Brahmin Christians, Vokkaliga Christians, Idiga Christians, and so on, the Congress government is introducing caste divisions into Christianity in violation of the Constitution, only to create rifts. Such a government deserves condemnation.”

According to the 2011 Census, the Christian population in Karnataka stood at about 11.44 lakh.

Within the religion, there are Roman Catholics, Syrian Christians, Orthodox Church, Church of South India, Church of North India, Lutheran Church, Brethren Church, Baptist Church, Protestants, Methodists and hundreds of small Pentecostal churches.

“But if you ask the common people, they simply say Catholic and Protestant. These are denominations, not castes. The government must be urged to conduct an ethnographic study,” Thomas insisted.

He demanded that a comprehensive ethnographic study of Christians across the state should be carried out, similar to the way Muslims benefited from the Sachar Committee report.

Former Chairman of the Christian Development Board Shantakumar Kennedy, Morcha office bearers Dr. Thomas, S.N. Raju, Shyam, Sylvester Stalin, and several others were present at the press conference.

--IANS

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