Activists Doubt OBC Meet Alone Can Bolster Congress Support in Karnataka

Swift Summary

• The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has formed an Other backward Classes (OBC) Advisory council to strategize its outreach to OBC communities nationwide.
• The 24-member council includes Karnataka leaders like Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, former CM M. Veerappa Moily, and MLC B.K. Hariprasad.
• A meeting of the advisory council is scheduled in Bengaluru on July 15, focusing on party strategies for OBC engagement.
• Critics argue that Congress’s approach in Karnataka has not substantively benefited smaller and marginalized communities within the OBC framework.
• Past caste surveys conducted by state commissions have not been implemented or publicly discussed, reportedly due to opposition from dominant communities like Lingayats and Vokkaligas.
• Karnataka’s OBC population constitutes about 70%, but power remains concentrated with politically influential subgroups such as Lingayats (11%), Vokkaligas (10.29%), and Kurubas (7.3%). Smaller castes remain underrepresented in education, employment, and political leadership.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The formation of the Congress’s national-level OBC Advisory Council highlights its renewed attempt to engage this critically important demographic group ahead of future elections-but challenges persist at state levels like Karnataka were caste dynamics are deeply entrenched. While numerically dominant groups within the broader OBC category receive greater attention from political parties due to their influence over votes and policy outcomes, smaller castes remain marginalized without adequate depiction or targeted programs addressing their socio-economic needs.

Congress faces criticism for failing to act upon existing surveys that could guide equitable welfare policies for these smaller backward classes-a missed opportunity accentuated by accusations of bowing to pressure from dominant groups who oppose redistributive measures challenging their clout.

For meaningful impact at both state and national levels, fostering inclusivity within advisory bodies-by including voices from oppressed subgroups-and implementing long-delayed caste census recommendations would be critical steps toward bridging internal disparities among India’s vast OBC population.

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Note: Image description – Participants at a Kuruba community convention in Bengaluru represent part of Karnataka’s politically pivotal Lingayat-Vokkaliga-Kuruba block.