Karnataka Legislative Council Leader of Opposition (LoP) and BJP MLC Chalavadi Narayanaswamy raised strong objections to the ongoing caste census in the state, alleging serious irregularities in the way data is being recorded. Addressing the media in Bengaluru, Narayanaswamy claimed that the backward commission survey has “tagged Christianity to every community and caste,” a move he termed anti-constitutional and deeply problematic.
He explained that several influential communities, including Vokkaligas, Lingayats, and other upper castes, have already protested against this practice and demanded its immediate removal. “It has been hidden now, but the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) categories have not been hidden or removed. Our demand is that this tagging must stop completely,” he said.
Narayanaswamy questioned the rationale behind such a decision, stating, “I don’t know who gave this idea of tagging Christianity to every community. Our stand is simple—any person converted to Christianity should be recorded as Christian, and the same applies to Islam, but do not tag castes into it.”
Calling the move a violation of constitutional principles, the BJP leader urged the Karnataka government and the commission to take corrective action immediately. He warned that continuing such practices could lead to social unrest and legal challenges. “Tagging every caste with Christianity is wrong. It is anti-constitutional. They have to stop this,” Narayanaswamy asserted.
