NewKerala.com

Key Points

The BJP's Minority Morcha has strongly criticized Karnataka's caste census methodology. State President Anil Thomas alleges the government is artificially creating caste divisions within Christianity where none exist. He claims the Congress administration has invented 52 sub-castes among Christians despite the religion's egalitarian principles. The BJP demands a proper ethnographic study instead of what they call unconstitutional caste engineering.

Key Points: BJP Slams Karnataka Caste Census for Inventing Christian Castes

  • BJP alleges Karnataka govt inventing 52 non-existent Christian castes in census
  • Claims previous caste reports were discarded by Siddaramaiah government
  • Accuses Congress of creating divisive policies violating Constitution
  • Demands ethnographic study similar to Sachar Committee for Christians
2 min read

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

BJP's Anil Thomas accuses Karnataka govt of creating 52 fake Christian castes in census, violating constitutional principles and dividing communities.

"There is no caste in Christianity... Have they lost their sense? - Anil Thomas, BJP Minority Morcha"

Bengaluru, Sep 6

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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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
As a Christian from Karnataka, I can say that while we don't have caste system, many families still maintain their original community identities. But government categorizing us as "Kuruba Christian" or "Brahmin Christian" feels wrong. We are just Christians 🙏
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Michael C
Interesting debate. While Christianity officially rejects caste, social realities in India are complex. Many Christian families still identify with their ancestral communities. But government should be careful not to impose categories that don't reflect ground reality.
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Ananya R
Both sides playing politics with census data. BJP suddenly concerned about Christian unity? Congress creating unnecessary categories? Why can't we have a proper ethnographic study as suggested instead of political mudslinging?
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Siddharth J
The Sachar Committee model for Muslims worked well. If Christians need similar development-focused study, let it happen. But creating caste categories where none exist is indeed problematic. Government should focus on actual socio-economic data, not artificial divisions.
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Nisha Z
As a social researcher, I must say the government's approach seems unscientific. Denominations (Catholic, Protestant) are not castes. If there are social stratification patterns, they should be studied properly, not through arbitrary political categorization. The ethnographic study suggestion makes sense.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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