Archbishop Peter Machado Welcomes Karnataka Survey, Flags Christian Exclusions

Bangalore, 27 Sept. 2025: Archbishop Peter Machado of Bengaluru, speaking at a press conference, called on the Karnataka government to restore caste identifications for Christians in the ongoing Socio-Economic Survey of Castes, which began on 22 September and will end on 7 October.

He welcomed the survey, saying that it would “help identify the real beneficiaries of the government’s economic and social welfare policies” and would “provide a clear classification of different caste groups, enabling the framing of policies and programs that are just, inclusive, and need-based.”

At the same time, he noted with concern that 33 Christian caste names recorded in the 2015 H Kantharaj Commission survey had been removed from the present data collection system following Opposition objections. Expressing hope that these would be reinstated, he said, “the omission of certain castes linked to Christianity in the published lists will be restored after the final analyses of the survey.” He warned, “Deletions, if any, risk denying historical communities their rightful recognition and may cause injustice in accessing welfare schemes. The Church urges the government to take note of these exclusions and ensure fair representation of all Christian communities.”

Archbishop Machado clarified the community’s position: “Today’s press meet was to clarify what the Christian position is on the social and educational survey that the government is conducting. We were told that it is not a caste survey. We want to repeat that we will not mix up the issues, since this is not a caste survey.”

Acknowledging the disappointment of the community, he said, “We are not very happy — in fact, a little sad — but we will cooperate with the government regarding the caste nomenclatures that were earlier used for the Christian community. Now that they have removed those, we still say that although we are a little sad, we will cooperate with the government.”

Explaining the background, he added, “According to historical records, Christians were earlier converted from communities such as the Kaligasas, Madigas, and others. Over the years, perhaps out of love for the Hindu religion and their Hindu brothers, they retained their caste identity. Though in the church there is no caste system, those caste groupings also helped them access certain benefits in education, employment, and other areas. So, they kept it.”

Christian leaders also sought clarity on their population numbers. The Archbishop said, “First of all, we want to know what our numbers are. Our understanding is that our numbers are very small, partly because Christians in the past did not fully participate. So now, if we get a clearer and perhaps larger number, we can ask the government for a bigger share of help and support.”

He also mentioned the possibility of reclassification: “For example, right now we are marked under the 3B category. Perhaps in the future, if our numbers are shown to be higher, we can ask the government to move us into the 2C category. Since 2B is reserved for Muslims, who currently enjoy 4% reservation, we may ask the government to consider placing us in 2C.”

Archbishop Machado reiterated the Church’s willingness to cooperate with the government while urging fair representation of Christian communities in the survey. He expressed hope that the restored data would ensure justice, inclusivity, and rightful access to welfare schemes.

By Catholic Connect Reporter