Country Advice India – IND36174 – – Karnataka – Demography – Religious groups – Languages – Government 9 February 2010

1. Please provide a basic background statement on Kerala with regard to population, faith and language communities. Please also provide a statement of which party, or parties, are currently in government. At the time of India’s most recent census, conducted in 2001, Kerala had a population of just under 32 million (31,841,374).1 Of this population Hindus numbered 17,883,449 (56%); Muslims 7,863,842 (25%); and Christians 6,057,427 (19%). Other communities present number: Sikhs 2,762; Buddhists 2,027; and Jains 4,528.2 Malayalam speakers make up the majority of the population, numbering 30,803,747 (97%), and this common language is shared by Kerala’s Hindu Muslim and Hindu communities.3 Kerala is also home to over half a million Tamil speakers 596,971 and a small number of Kannada speakers (81,406), Konkani speakers (61,376), Telugu speakers (48,633), and Marathi speakers (31,845).4 Kerala’s most recent state government elections took place in May 2006 and ended as a victory for the Left Democratic Front (LDF) coalition.5 Led by the –Marxist (CPI-M) the 2006 LDF coalition also consisted of: “Communist Party of India, -Secular, Kerala -J, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Nationalist Congress Party, Indian National League [a Muslim-based ], -S and Congress-S”.6 The victory of the LDF in May 2006 saw the United Democratic Front (UDF) governing coalition removed from office. Led by the (INC, or Congress) the 2006 UDF coalition also consisted of: “Kerala Congress (Mani), Janathipathya Samrakshana Samiti, Kerala Congress (B), , Revolutionary Socialist Party (Shibu faction) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (Babu Divakaran faction)”. News

1 ‘Population by religious communities (Census Data 2001)’ (undated), Census of India website http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/Population_by_religious_communiti es.htm – Accessed 9 February 2010 – Attachment 1. 2 ‘Population by religious communities (Census Data 2001)’ (undated), Census of India website http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/Population_by_religious_communiti es.htm – Accessed 9 February 2010 – Attachment 1. 3 Engineer, A,A. 2007,’BJP Enters Portal of Power In South’, Centre for the Study of Society and Secularism website, 16-30 November http://www.csss-isla.com/archive/archive.php?article=2007/nov16_30.htm – Accessed 1 May 2009 – Attachment 3. 4 ‘Part A: Distribution of the 22 Scheduled Languages- India/ States/ Union Territories – 2001 Census’ (undated), Census of India website http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/parta.htm – Accessed 1 May 2009 – Attachment 2. 5 Muraleedharan, N. 2006, ‘2006: Political conflicts in Kerala’, Rediff.com, 20 December http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/dec/20year.htm – Accessed 6 July 2007 – Attachment 4; Lype, George 2006, ‘Kerala: Where change is static’, Rediff.com, 11 May http://in.rediff.com/election/2006/may/11gi.htm – Accessed 6 July 2007 – Attachment 5; Election Commission of India 2006, Statistical Report on General Election, 2006 to the Legislative Assembly of Kerala, Election Commission of India website http://www.eci.gov.in/StatisticalReports/SE_2006/StatReport_KL_2006.pdf – Accessed 20 October 2008 – Attachment 6. 6 Iype, G. 2006, ‘Kerala’s political jigsaw, unravelled’, Rediff.com, 10 April http://www.rediff.com/election/2006/apr/10pkerala.htm – Accessed 20 October 2008 – Attachment 7. 1 reports have noted that the May 2006 state election result continued a trend wherein the Kerala electorate has swung back-and-forth between the LDF and the UDF at successive elections.7 In the aftermath of the Congress party’s success in the recent April–May 2009 national elections,8 and the poor performance of the CPI-M therein, there has been some speculation that the CPI-M may face a daunting task9 in returning to power in the Kerala state assembly polls scheduled for next year in May 2011.10

2. Please provide a basic background statement on Karnataka with regard to population, faith and language communities. Please also provide a statement of which party, or parties, are currently in government. At the time of India’s most recent census, conducted in 2001, Karnataka had a population of over 50 million (52,850,562).11 Of this population Hindus numbered 44,321,279 (84%); Muslims 6,463,127 (12%); and Christians 1,009,164 (2%).12 Other communities present number: Jains 412,659; Buddhist 393,300; and Sikhs 15,326.13 Kannada speakers make up the majority of the population, numbering 34,838,035 (66%).14 Kerala is also home to Telegu speakers (3,698,657; or 7%); Marathi speakers (1,892,783; or 4%); Malayalam speakers (701,673; or 1%); and Konkani speakers (768,039; or 1%).15 Karnataka’s most recent state elections, held in May 2008, ended as a victory for the Bharatiya (BJP) which formed a government with the help independent legislators.16 At the June 2008 vote of confidence in “the 225-member house, the ruling BJP has 110 members, followed by 80 of Congress, 28 Dal (S) legislators, and six independents”. All of the independents “extended support to the government” and five of these were “accommodated in the cabinet”.17 In December 2008 the BJP extended its dominance of the

7 Muraleedharan, N. 2006, ‘2006: Political conflicts in Kerala’, Rediff.com, 20 December http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/dec/20year.htm – Accessed 6 July 2007 – Attachment 4. 8 ‘India: election results’ 2009, Financial Times, 18 May – Attachment 11. 9 Chatterji, S. 2009, ‘After poll debacle, rectification is CPI(M)'s mantra’, Business Standard, 15 August http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/after-poll-debacle-rectification-is-cpim%5Cs-mantra/367063/ – Accessed 12 February 2010 – Attachment 12. 10 Menon, G. 2010, ‘Differing views over Youth Congress polls’, The Hindu, 4 February http://www.thehindu.com/2010/02/04/stories/2010020453750400.htm – Accessed 12 February 2010 – Attachment 13. 11 ‘Population by religious communities (Census Data 2001)’ (undated), Census of India website http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/Population_by_religious_communiti es.htm – Accessed 9 February 2010 – Attachment 1. 12 ‘Population by religious communities (Census Data 2001)’ (undated), Census of India website http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/Population_by_religious_communiti es.htm – Accessed 9 February 2010 – Attachment 1. 13 ‘Population by religious communities (Census Data 2001)’ (undated), Census of India website http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/Population_by_religious_communiti es.htm – Accessed 9 February 2010 – Attachment 1. 14 ‘Part A: Distribution of the 22 Scheduled Languages- India/ States/ Union Territories – 2001 Census’ (undated), Census of India website http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/parta.htm – Accessed 1 May 2009 – Attachment 2. 15 ‘Part A: Distribution of the 22 Scheduled Languages- India/ States/ Union Territories – 2001 Census’ (undated), Census of India website http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/parta.htm – Accessed 1 May 2009 – Attachment 2. 16 ‘BJP wins Karnataka assembly polls’ 2008, BBC News, 26 May http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7419782.stm – Accessed 9 February 2010 – Attachment 8. 17 Srikanth, B.R. 2008, ‘BJP Govt wins trust vote in Karnataka’, Hindustan Times, 7 June http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/bangalore/BJP-Govt-wins-trust-vote-in-Karnataka/Article1- 315768.aspx – Accessed 9 February 2010 – Attachment 9. 2 Karanataka state assembly when it won five of eight seats being contested in by-elections; “The strength of the BJP rose to 116 in the 224-member house and its effective numerical numbers 122 in the wake of its government headed by Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa enjoying the backing of six independents”.18

List of Attachments 1. ‘Population by religious communities (Census Data 2001)’ (undated), Census of India website http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/Population _by_religious_communities.htm – Accessed 9 February 2010. 2. ‘Part A: Distribution of the 22 Scheduled Languages- India/ States/ Union Territories – 2001 Census’ (undated), Census of India website http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/parta.ht m – Accessed 1 May 2009. 3. Engineer, A,A. 2007,’BJP Enters Portal of Power In South’, Centre for the Study of Society and Secularism website, 16-30 November http://www.csss- isla.com/archive/archive.php?article=2007/nov16_30.htm – Accessed 1 May 2009. 4. Muraleedharan, N. 2006, ‘2006: Political conflicts in Kerala’, Rediff.com, 20 December http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/dec/20year.htm – Accessed 6 July 2007. 5. Lype, George 2006, ‘Kerala: Where change is static’, Rediff.com, 11 May http://in.rediff.com/election/2006/may/11gi.htm – Accessed 6 July 2007. 6. Election Commission of India 2006, Statistical Report on General Election, 2006 to the Legislative Assembly of Kerala, Election Commission of India website http://www.eci.gov.in/StatisticalReports/SE_2006/StatReport_KL_2006.pdf – Accessed 20 October 2008. 7. Iype, G. 2006, ‘Kerala’s political jigsaw, unravelled’, Rediff.com, 10 April http://www.rediff.com/election/2006/apr/10pkerala.htm – Accessed 20 October 2008. 8. ‘BJP wins Karnataka assembly polls’ 2008, BBC News, 26 May http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7419782.stm – Accessed 9 February 2010. 9. Srikanth, B.R. 2008, ‘BJP Govt wins trust vote in Karnataka’, Hindustan Times, 7 June http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/bangalore/BJP-Govt-wins-trust- vote-in-Karnataka/Article1-315768.aspx – Accessed 9 February 2010. 10. ‘BJP wins Karnataka by-elections’ 2008, One India, 30 December http://news.oneindia.in/2008/12/30/bjp-wins-karnataka-by-elections.html – Accessed 9 February 2010.

18 ‘BJP wins Karnataka by-elections’ 2008, One India, 30 December http://news.oneindia.in/2008/12/30/bjp- wins-karnataka-by-elections.html – Accessed 9 February 2010 – Attachment 10. 3