Bengaluru, 17 Oct

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy and author Sudha Murty have "some misconceptions" about the ongoing social and educational survey being conducted in the state.

"There is a notion that this is a survey for backward castes," Siddaramaiah told reporters here.

"It is not a backward class survey. Let them write whatever they want. People should understand what this survey is about. What can I do if they are unable to understand?" he said.

Siddaramaiah’s remarks came after the Murthys declined to take part in the survey, noting on the pro forma that they do not belong to backward communities.

"Shouldn’t Infosys (founder) mean ‘Brihaspati’ (intelligent)? We have said 20 times it’s not a backward class survey but a survey for everyone," Siddaramaiah said.

He said the government had launched welfare schemes such asShakti, which offers free bus rides to women in non-luxury government buses, and Gruha Lakshmi, which provides Rs 2,000 a month to women heads of families from economically weaker sections.

"Aren’t upper-caste women and those above the poverty line availing the Shakti scheme? Aren’t upper-caste people among the Gruha Lakshmi beneficiaries?" he asked.

The chief minister said that despite repeated clarifications from ministers, there were still misconceptions about the exercise. "Now the Centre is also coming up with a caste census. What answer will they (Murthys) give then? I feel they have the wrong information," he said.

"I am making it very, very clear — this is not a survey for backward classes but a socio-economic and educational survey of seven crore people of Karnataka," he asserted.

On speculation about a possible leadership change in the state, dubbed ‘November Kranti’, Siddaramaiah said, "It’s not a Kranti. What is Kranti? Kranti is revolution. Change is not revolution."

He also said the issue keeps surfacing without reason and should simply be ignored.

Clarifying the cabinet’s recent decision banning activities on government land and in government schools and colleges — widely described as a move against RSS programmes — Siddaramaiah said, "It’s not just about the RSS. Any organisation conducting activities without government permission is not allowed. This rule was actually brought in by the BJP under ChiefMinister Jagadish Shettar."

On the upcoming Bihar elections, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence that the INDIA bloc would perform well. "People want change. Rahul Gandhi’s march received an overwhelming response. Chances are high for us to win," he said, adding that he would attend the campaign if invited.

Later, in a post on 'X', Siddaramaiah said the media had reported that Sudha Murty and Narayana Murthy had provided a confirmation letter stating that they do not belong to a backward caste and would not provide information for the social and educational survey.

"It must first be understood that the survey is not only for backward castes. Are the people at Infosys implying they are gods? The government has already stated that this is not a survey of backward castes. This is a survey that includes all people," the CM added.