Bengaluru: JDS youth wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy has strongly opposed the state government's move to conduct a fresh caste census, questioning the necessity of it when the central government has already announced its own caste-based survey. He alleged that the state government's move is politically motivated and meant for its own electoral gains.

Speaking to media persons at the JDS party office, JP Bhavan, Nikhil said, “The state government has already spent around Rs 180 crore on the earlier caste census. Now, if they plan to conduct it again, it will result in more public money being wasted. Even after spending so much, they haven’t managed to do it properly.”

He accused the government of trying to push a political agenda through the caste census. “This is not about social or economic development of any community. It’s all about political gains. The government wants to uplift a few communities while suppressing others. That’s the real reason behind this move,” Nikhil alleged.

He further said, “Why should the state conduct another caste census when the Union government has already declared one? The purpose behind this exercise is suspicious. It raises questions about the government’s intentions.”

“The truth is, no real development—social or economic—is taking place. Only politics is being done in the name of caste. The government is trying to implement its political agenda under the pretext of caste census,” he remarked.

On the issue of financial constraints faced by the state, Nikhil Kumaraswamy advised Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi directly. “If the state is facing a funds crunch, the CM should sit down with the Prime Minister and discuss it, instead of announcing projects for political benefits,” he said.

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Davangere: Minister for Social Welfare H.C. Mahadevappa clarified on Sunday that the comparison drawn between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar is solely in the context of their governance and public service, not on a personal level.

Speaking to the media in the city, Mahadevappa said that Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar was a visionary ruler who stood for social justice and built an equitable society with people-centric reforms. "It's not appropriate to compare any individual with him. He was incomparable. The reference made between Siddaramaiah and Nalwadi is only in terms of their pro-people and developmental work," he reiterated.

Responding to BJP’s criticism over Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala allegedly acting like a “Super CM,” Mahadevappa said, "Just as a jaundiced eye sees everything as yellow, BJP leaders view everything with bias. The Congress party has never interfered in the functioning of the government. There is no instance of party in-charges criticizing ministers or MLAs. Our focus has always been on governance, not internal meddling," he said.

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