A remark by Siddaramaiah on a proposal to record original castes of people who have converted to Christianity, during the coming socio-economic caste survey in the state, has generated a controversy on grounds which the Karnataka Chief Minister is familiar with.Replying to questions from reporters on the proposal, Siddaramaiah, an OBC leader who has built his politics on the social justice plank, said: “If there was equality in our Hindu society, why would there be conversions? If there is equal opportunity, if there is equality, then why is there untouchability? Did we give birth to it?”AdvertisementThe BJP seized on the remarks as “promotion” of Christianity and “insult” of Hindu religion by the Congress leader, and an affirmation of its criticism of the Siddaramaiah government over its invite to Booker Prize winner and Kannada writer Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate the famed Mysuru Dasara celebrations.Siddaramaiah, 77, who got his political start in the Janata Dal, has always been one of the most outspoken critics of the Hindu caste system and has called it out on multiple occasions – both in and out of power.The BJP’s ire is directed at a proposal to include people as ‘Lingayat-Christian’, ‘Kuruba-Christian’ or ‘Vokkaliga-Christian’, among others, in the caste survey by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes that begins on September 22. The party has called it a bid to provide reservations to Christians under OBC and Dalit categories – the BJP has always opposed those who have converted from Hinduism getting the benefit of quota.AdvertisementThe Siddaramaiah government has countered that the survey is only a data-collection exercise meant to understand the socio-economic situation of the people of the state – including those who have converted to other religions – and not an effort at providing reservations.However, it is Siddaramaiah’s contention that conversions are a “reality” which the BJP has now latched on to. “Even though we tell people not to convert, they tend to convert due to the prevailing system… If there is inequality in any religion, it should not be that way. We have not told people to convert, neither have BJP leaders, but still there are conversions. It is their right to convert to any religion of their choice,” the CM said in his interaction with reporters at Mysuru, his home district.Later the same day, at an event organised by the JSS Institutions of the Lingayat community, Siddaramaiah again spoke about caste inequalities. “The caste system has deep roots in our society. It has been 78 years since we attained Independence… the caste system has not gone away… It does not allow social mobility. There can be social mobility only with economic and social progress. The entrenched forces in society ensure that economic and social progress does not occur,” he said.In a post on X, state BJP president B Y Vijayendra said that the Congress “which has been providing false information to discredit Hindu religion and religious faith centers has now taken to inciting Hindus to convert to other religions”.Accusing the Congress government of mulling “deactivating laws prohibiting cow slaughter and religious conversion”, Vijayendra said it had now “issued an official declaration naming Hindu caste names in the list announced by the Backward Classes Commission as ‘Christian’.”Siddaramaiah’s remarks “appear to indirectly incite religious conversion”, Vijayendra said. “… they (Congress leaders) are neither socialists nor proponents of Indian culture; opposing eternal Hindu religion and Indian culture is their mindset”.Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka asked whether Siddaramaiah would speak about equality within Muslims the same way as he did about Hindu religion. While acknowledging that the caste system was “a scourge in Hindu society”, Ashoka said that change has to come from within. “Hindu society has the strength to reform itself and transform… Set aside your Leftist lens that mocks Sanatana Hindu Dharma and Hindus, and think objectively for once.”The political contextThe new row adds to the heat on Siddaramaiah over the invitation to Mushtaq to inaugurate the Dasara celebrations. The BJP has called it a part of the Congress’s policy of “political appeasement” of minorities, with Siddaramaiah sticking to his decision and saying the invite to Mushtaq was a recognition of her credentials as a Kannada literary personality.“She is a Kannada writer. She won for a book (Heart Lamp) written in Kannada which was translated to English,” the CM said.A proposal to name a Metro station at Shivajinagar in Bengaluru after St Mary’s Basilica has also drawn the BJP’s criticism though, over this, the Siddaramaiah government has said it would reconsider the decision and recommend the same to the Centre (the Metro is a Central government project).Meanwhile, the Siddaramaiah government has put on the backburner its plans to consider a demand by the Archbishop of Bengaluru, Peter Machado, to repeal the anti-conversion law brought in by the previous BJP government. This was promised by the Congress ahead of the Assembly polls, but the government has dragged its feet as it did not have the required strength in the Legislative Council until recently.The socio-economic caste survey could also be the last roll of the dice for Siddaramaiah. The CM hopes to make the findings public by December, when the issue of a leadership change in the Karnataka Congress is likely to come to a head. A successful exercise could again stall any bid to get Siddaramaiah to step down as CM.Siddaramaiah’s politicsOver a political career spanning five decades, Siddaramaiah has been an outspoken critic of the caste system and advocate for social justice, speaking on the matter at different public forums.most readIn 2022, while speaking at the release of the book Reservations – Myth and Realities by retired Karnataka High Court judge H N Nagamohan Das, the Congress leader, who was in the Opposition at the time, said: “In the Chaturvarna (four castes) system, only Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas could get an education. Only they could enjoy wealth. Only they had the opportunity to govern. Was it not a form of reservation? The majority Shudras were robbed of access to education. They could not enjoy the benefits of their own hard work,” Siddaramaiah said, adding that this is why Babasaheb Ambedkar called for reservations as long as there was a caste system.Soon after he became the CM of Karnataka in May 2023, for the second time in his career, Siddaramaiah regretted that “there is no resistance to the caste system in the country”.Last year, when the BJP accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of making statements against reservations, the Karnataka CM said the RSS “has defended the caste system since its inception”. “Whenever opportunities for social justice have opened up, the BJP has fought against them… In opposition to Mandal, the BJP launched the ‘Kamandal’ movement… Their communalism was not only targeted at minorities but also aimed at destroying the Dalit and minority communities.”