Politics
BJP mocks CM Siddaramaiah on caste census advice to Centre
Bengaluru, May 1: The Karnataka BJP, on Thursday, criticised Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on his caste census remarks, saying that the exercise done by the Congress-led government was a model for how not to conduct the census.
Earlier, CM Siddaramaiah said that his government was fully prepared to extend any guidance to the Union government on the caste census.
R. Ashoka, the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, stated, “Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, your statement suggesting that Karnataka’s model should be adopted for the caste census is truly laughable. A report whose original copy has gone missing, which lacks even the signatures of the secretaries, where applications were filled by school children paid five to ten rupees per form, where houses with dogs were skipped during enumeration, and which even after ten years remains unaccepted – your caste census report stands as a textbook example of how not to conduct a caste census.”
“Your claim that the BJP has always opposed the caste census is an outright lie. In 2010, the then Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the late Sushma Swaraj, had formally conveyed to the UPA government that the BJP supported, including caste enumeration in the 2011 census. The BJP had also supported the unanimous resolution passed in Parliament on the matter,” Ashoka pointed out.
However, instead of conducting a proper caste census, the then Congress government carried out a flawed Social-Economic Caste Census – 2011 (SECC-2011). Like Karnataka’s caste census, this too suffered from poor planning and ineffective execution, leading to its complete failure. Despite spending crores of rupees, the findings were never officially released. This reveals the Congress party’s true commitment towards the caste census, Ashoka stated.
“The BJP has never misused the caste census as an electoral weapon. When in power, we demonstrated commitment by deciding to carry out the caste census. We did not indulge in petty politics by shedding crocodile tears while in opposition and ignoring the issue when in power. This reflects our genuine dedication to social justice. BJP’s only concern regarding the caste census has always been that it should not be misused for political attacks,” Ashoka underlined.
“The caste census that the Central government is now set to conduct will be carried out in a highly transparent, scientific, and purposeful manner – not manipulated for political gain as your Congress government did by twisting data to suit your needs,” Ashoka stated, addressing CM Siddaramaiah.
Karnataka’s caste census process serves only as an example of how not to conduct a caste census; there are no aspects worth emulating from it, he reiterated.
Welcoming the decision for caste census by the centre, CM Siddaramaiah stated on Wednesday, “Just as the BJP initially mocked our five guarantee schemes and later adopted them, the Modi government’s decision to implement a caste census proves that Congress’ policies are rooted in public welfare.
“The Karnataka government’s caste-based Social, Economic, and Educational Survey is a robust model. We are fully prepared to extend any guidance or support the Union government may need,” the CM said.
CM Siddaramaiah further stated, “Our government wholeheartedly welcomes the Union government’s decision to conduct a caste census along with the national population census. At this moment, I urge the Union government to also carry out a social, economic, and educational survey alongside the census. In Karnataka, we didn’t just conduct a caste census – we also gathered data on the social, economic, and educational status of communities. Based on this data, we have taken steps to revise and expand the current reservation policy. I hope the Union government will now follow through with this process as well.”
Maharashtra
Mumbai: Student dies, four injured after tree falls on school bus in Chembur.

Mumbai, June 30: A student died and four others were injured in an accident in the Chembur area of Mumbai, Maharashtra. A tree suddenly fell onto a bus belonging to Universal School, located on Road No. 11 in Chembur. This resulted in the death of one student on board and injuries to four others.
According to reports, there were 12 children on the school bus at the time of the accident. The sudden fall of the tree caused significant damage to the bus and sparked panic among the children inside. A total of five students sustained injuries, with one being critically hurt. The critically injured student was declared dead at 4:23 PM. He has been identified as 11-year-old Vihan Srivastava.
Upon receiving news of the incident, locals and rescue teams rushed to the scene. All students trapped inside the bus were safely evacuated, and the injured were immediately taken to the hospital.
The four injured students are currently undergoing treatment at Zen Hospital in Chembur under medical supervision. Following the incident, the police, fire department, and other relief and rescue teams arrived at the site and brought the situation under control. The police have initiated an investigation into the matter.
Officials from various departments, including the BMC, arrived at the scene after the incident and engaged in relief and rescue operations. Work also began to remove the damaged bus, which had been pinned beneath the tree. Describing the incident as heart-wrenching, Mumbai’s Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi stated that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) would take strict action against those responsible.
It is worth noting that Mumbai is currently experiencing rainfall. During this period, strong winds pose a risk of trees and dilapidated buildings collapsing. The BMC makes preparations for this every year. However, this incident, occurring right at the onset of the monsoon, has raised several questions.
Maharashtra
Fayyaz, who distributed poison pills on Ashura Day, participated in the election, important conclusion in the investigation

Mumbai: Fayyaz Premji, who distributed poisonous capsules on Ashura Day in Mumbai, was mentally disturbed. He had also contested the election for the Khoja Committee here and after his defeat, he became disheartened. He was an atheist since 2005. He also started criticizing the Shia community and religious scholars. He committed this act to register his presence in the Khoja Committee. His intention was not to kill the mourners. He had ordered poisonous rat poison from MM Reshamwala of Madhya Pradesh and had also transferred money online for 40 kg of the substance. Fayyaz lives in Pune’s Women Nagar. Ever since he started making controversial statements against the Shia community, his family has also distanced themselves from him. Fayyaz also visited Iran in 2025 during this time. He confessed to the Mumbai police that his intention was not to take the lives of the mourners or kill them, so the capsule pills he distributed had only 1.5 or 1.1 grams of rat poison mixed in them so that the mourners would only get sick and not die. In this case, the police have also started investigating whether Fayyaz’s plan was prepared by him alone and whether more people are involved behind it and whether this is not a conspiracy of a lone wolf attack because it is also a part of global terrorism. In this regard, the police have started investigating this case from every angle, but in this case, the police have made it clear that Fayyaz’s mental state is also unstable and this is also leading to new conclusions in the investigation. The police have not denied the involvement of more people in this case, but in the investigation so far, only Fayyaz’s involvement in this case has been confirmed.
Maharashtra
Political parties should cooperate in the process of Special Revision (SIR) of voter lists: District Election Officer and Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide

Mumbai: As per the instructions of the Election Commission of India, the process of Special In-depth Revision (SIR) of Voter Lists is underway in the Mumbai region (Mumbai city and suburbs) under the programme. Political parties should cooperate in the various processes going on in this regard. In addition, District Election Officer and Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has appealed to the public to assist in the house visits of Polling Station Level Officers (BLOs) from June 30 to July 29, 2026 to ensure maximum counting. To provide information about the Special In-depth Revision of Voter Lists programme, a meeting of representatives of various political parties was held today (June 30, 2026) at the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Headquarters under the chairmanship of the District Election Officer and Municipal Commissioner.
Deputy Mayor Sanjay Gadi, Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) and Additional District Election Officer Prajakta Verma-Laungare, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) and Additional District Election Officer Dr. Vipin Sharma, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) and Additional District Election Officer Abhijeet Bangar, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Eastern Suburbs) and Additional District Election Officer Dr. Avinash Dhakane, District Collector (Mumbai City District) and Additional District Election Officer SMS. Aanchal Goyal, Joint Commissioner (Tax Assessment and Collection) Mr. Vishwas Shankarwar etc. were present on the occasion. Representatives of various political parties were also present. District Election Officer and Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide further said that the Polling Station Level Officers (BLOs) will visit the house between June 30 and July 29, 2026. Voters are expected to provide necessary information to the concerned BLOs. The aim of this entire process is that no eligible voter is left out and no ineligible person is included. Therefore, Smt. Bhide has appealed to all political parties to cooperate in this process. The representatives of political parties were provided with detailed information about the process, schedule and action taken under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the Voter List Programme. Apart from this, various issues raised by the representatives of political parties were discussed.
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