After Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and his wife Sudha Murty, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, declined to participate in Karnataka’s caste survey, citing that they do not belong to any backward class, CM Siddaramaiah criticised their decision. He said the couple is acting out of misinformation and clarified that the survey is not just for backward communities, but for all seven crore residents of the state.
“This is a survey that is being done, including the entire population. Under the Shakti Yojana, the poor and the upper castes will all be included. There is misinformation about this. The government has conveyed the messages of the ministers and the chief minister to the people through advertisements,” the CM said.
He added, “It’s a survey of seven crore people of the state. It is wrong to think of the survey as a survey of the backward classes,” before asking, “The central government will also conduct a caste census in the coming days, will they still not cooperate?”
The 77-year-old added that the current survey goes beyond caste and covers economic, educational, and social aspects as well.
“They may be showing such disobedience due to the misinformation they have. The state has a population of about 7 crore, and this is an economic, educational and social survey of these people,” he further said.
Earlier, a self-attested letter of the couple opting out of the caste survey went viral on social media. “We and our family will not participate in the census, and we are confirming it through this letter,” the couple wrote in the form, as per a report by Deccan Herald.
It added, “We do not belong to any backward class. Hence, participating in this survey will not be of any help to the government. Therefore, we decline to participate,” the outlet further reported.