Karnataka BJP urges removal of ‘Christian’ caste tag, warns of consequences

Bengaluru: A Karnataka BJP delegation met Backward Classes Commission Chairman Madhusudan R. Naik on Tuesday and demanded the removal of the Christian tag assigned to Hindu castes in the Socio-Economic and Academic Survey, popularly known as the caste census.

The BJP leaders warned the Commission that if a decision was not taken by Tuesday evening to remove the Christian tag, the panel would be held responsible for the consequences.

The delegation was led by Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, BJP State General Secretary and MLA V. Sunil Kumar, Opposition Chief Whip and MLC N. Ravikumar, former Union Minister A. Narayanaswamy, and others. They met Chairman Madhusudhan Naik and submitted their objections.

• What does the “Christian tag” mean?

• In India’s reservation system, certain caste groups are listed under categories like Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), or Other Backward Classes (OBC). Some of these caste groups have members who converted to Christianity but continue to be recognized as “Christian Dalits” or “Christian OBCs” for reservation purposes. The “Christian tag” here refers to this official recognition.

• What is the BJP demanding?

• The Karnataka BJP is urging the state’s Backward Classes Commission to remove the “Christian” label from such caste groups. In other words, if someone has converted to Christianity, their caste should no longer be recognized under the reservation framework.

• Why is BJP opposing the Christian tag?

• The BJP argues that:

  • Caste-based benefits were meant for communities oppressed within Hindu society.

  • Conversion to Christianity is seen as leaving the caste system, so “Christian castes” should not get caste-linked benefits.

  • They claim continuing the tag leads to misuse of quotas and dilutes opportunities for Hindu SCs, STs, or OBCs.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy said, “When the Sadashiva Commission was constituted, there was no Christian tag for Hindu castes. Even the Kantharaju Commission, which conducted the earlier caste census, did not include such a tag. Likewise, the Jayaprakash Hegde Commission report did not have it either. When it was not there earlier, why does the present Commission’s survey include Christian tags for Hindu castes?”

“Chairman Naik has assured us that he will hold a meeting today itself and take a call on the matter. We warned that if this continues, the Commission will be held responsible for the consequences. There were arguments, counter-arguments, and raised voices during the meeting," he said.

"The BJP is voicing the concerns of the people,” Narayanaswamy claimed.

The petition submitted stated, “The Commission released a list of 1,400 castes on August 23. In that list, 48 Hindu castes were given a Christian tag. Among these, 15 were sub-castes belonging to the Scheduled Castes and one to the Scheduled Tribes. This has evoked outrage in the state. The BJP delegation had earlier met the Commission Chairman on September 2 and submitted objections.”

“On September 21, the Commission claimed that 33 Hindu castes with Christian tags were hidden in the App used for the caste census survey. However, objections had been raised over 48 sub-castes, while clarification was given only for 33. The Hindu sub-castes with Christian tags all fall under the Scheduled Caste category, which is a matter of concern,” the petition noted.

Confusion

“We urge that the Christian tag given to these sub-castes be removed immediately and that the Commission issue an official statement. It is not proper for the Commission to clarify only about 33 sub-castes while remaining silent on remaining Dalit-Christian castes,” the petition further stated.

The BJP pointed out, “Two months ago, the Justice Nagamohan Das Commission conducted a socio-economic and academic survey of 101 SC sub-castes for the purpose of internal reservation. At that time, these 15 Dalit-Christian castes were not included. If new Dalit-Christian communities are added now, the data will change and cause huge confusion. This issue must be treated with utmost seriousness.”

The party demanded that corrections be made to the App used for the caste survey and that the Commission issue a media statement clarifying the matter.

Meanwhile, the controversial caste survey has commenced across the state, except in Bengaluru, from Monday. The High Court is expected to deliver its verdict on Tuesday on whether to stay the caste census exercise.