Belagavi, April 15 : BJP state president and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra has alleged that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has started work aimed at dividing Hindus and Muslims under the caste census.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, he responded to a question and said that even though the state government does not have the authority to conduct a caste census, they have still proceeded with it.

'There is neither implementation of reservation based on the caste census nor is it even possible. This report is outdated - more than 10 years old. According to the Backwards Classes Commission, such a survey should happen every 10 years. The government's statement about implementation is just an eyewash,' said Vijayendra.

He said the Congress party is successfully following the British policy of 'divide and rule' in this country.

'During Siddaramaiah's earlier tenure as Chief Minister, he attempted to spark controversy by declaring Veerashaiva-Lingayat as a separate religion. He failed in that attempt,' he said.

Vijayendra alleged that Congress now remembers Ambedkar and Muslims, but they are using Muslims as a vote bank.

He further stated that both the Congress party and Siddaramaiah lack sincerity in their approach to marginalised castes and communities and are merely using them for vote bank politics.

'The BJP is committed to ensuring economic, educational, and social justice for backwards, oppressed, and exploited communities. But Siddaramaiah is using this issue as a political strategy to secure his vote base,' he alleged.

He said that the H. Kantharaj report was submitted in 2015. 'What did Siddaramaiah do for the next 4 years? If he was truly concerned, why didn't he implement it during his earlier tenure'? he said.

The Leader of the Opposition, R. Ashoka, stated that last time they tried to announce the Lingayat community as a separate religion and burnt their hands.

'Now they are trying to implement the caste census report. This time as well, they will be punished by the people. The survey says Muslims have the largest population in the state. Why do they need the status of minorities? If they are number one in terms of numbers, they should be removed from the list of minorities,' he said.

He said that the Lingayat community is divided into subcastes and not considered as one group while conducting the survey.

'In Vokkaligas, many subcastes are not considered,' he said.

/IANS