A political firestorm has erupted in Karnataka over demands from Christian groups to be enumerated with caste identifiers like “Dalit Christian” and “Kuruba Christian” in the state’s upcoming socio-economic survey. The move has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties and social commentators who accuse the community of hypocrisy, preaching equality while seeking to benefit from caste-based divisions for political appeasement.
The controversy stems from a press release issued by the “Karnataka Christians Social Educational Survey Awareness Forum,” which actively urged community members, especially “Dalit Christians and backward caste Christians,” to meticulously register their sub-castes in the survey forms. The forum justified the move by citing over “52 castes” within the community and quoted Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s assurance that converts cannot be deprived of benefits.
Christian groups now demand caste tags like Dalit Christian & Kuruba Christian in the caste census to grab reservation benefits. Hypocrisy! Christianity preaches equality but seeks caste divisions for appeasement. #StopAppeasement pic.twitter.com/vqMbYLF7KD
— 🚩Mohan Gowda🇮🇳 (@Mohan_HJS) September 20, 2025
Equality in Sermon, Caste in Census
Critics point to a fundamental contradiction: while Christian theology officially rejects caste, its political representatives in India are increasingly leveraging caste identity for gain. This strategy, opponents argue, is enabled by the Congress government’s survey, which they claim is designed to create new vote banks by fracturing society along finer lines.
“The Congress government is playing a dangerous game. They are manufacturing categories that nobody has heard of to create a narrative of oppression and entitlement,” senior journalist Mr. Ram Krishna Padya commented. “It’s a blatant appeasement policy that will lead to more social fragmentation and litigation.”
Political Chessboard
The ruling Congress has defended the survey as a neutral data-collection exercise for better policy formulation. Congress spokesperson Mr. Ramesh Babu stated, “This is about documentation to understand social realities. If people retain a social identity even after conversion, ignoring it would be unscientific.”
But political analysts suggest a deeper strategy. By officially recognizing sub-castes within Christianity, the government could potentially pave the way for extending reservation benefits to these groups, a long-standing demand that has so far been legally untenable. This, critics allege, is a thinly veiled attempt to consolidate a key voter base ahead of future elections.
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