Bengaluru, April 15 -- The All India Veerashaiva Lingayat Mahasabha has outrightly rejected the leaked Karnataka caste survey report, claiming that Lingayats constitute nearly 35 per cent of the state's population, three times higher than the reported 11 per cent, and demanded an immediate fresh survey, escalating tensions within the ruling Congress and setting the stage for a volatile cabinet discussion later this week. The frontal assault was led by former DGP Shankar Bidari, who now heads the Mahasabha. "The numbers are a fabrication. In over 15 districts, Lingayats number more than 10 lakh each. These figures do not reflect ground realities," Bidari said on Tuesday, calling the current report a "gross misrepresentation" of Karnataka's s...