Our objection is to survey enumerators seeking irrelevant information, says Joshi

Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi has said that the ongoing social and educational survey is being misused to encourage religious conversions among Hindus.

Speaking to presspersons in Dharwad on Thursday, Mr. Joshi said that while they have no objection to conducting the survey even as the Union government is scheduled to hold a caste census, their objection is to asking unnecessary personal questions on the pretext of survey.

Mr. Joshi said that terms like Christian Lingayat, Christian Brahmin were in the survey and sought to know is it really necessary to ask for information on individual affiliation with social organisations.

He clarified that their objection is not to the survey related to caste but is against enumerators asking irrelevant question and seeking unwanted information.

Mr. Joshi even said that the survey is being conducted by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to save his chair and to appease Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra.

“While Mr. Siddaramaiah is claiming that he will have a five-year term, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s followers are claiming that his term will end next month. Actually, Mr. Shivakumar and the Vokkalinga seers have demanded postponing the survey. Does it mean that Mr. Shivakumar is himself against the survey,” he asked.