Reiterating his party’s stance, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has demanded that the Union government undertake a nationwide caste census, adding that it was necessary for the proper implementation of social justice. The CM was speaking on Monday, November 27, at the inaugural ceremony in Chennai for the life-sized statue of former Prime Minister VP Singh. On the occasion of VP Singh’s death anniversary, the state government has said that they are commemorating the former PM for implementing the recommendations of the Mandal Commission—ensuring caste based reservation in government jobs for Other Backward Classes (OBCs). “Social justice is not the concern of just one state. It is the concern of all states. There may be variations in caste and class differences in each state, but they all face the same problem of marginalisation,” Stalin said, further adding, “Wherever there is marginalisation, segregation, untouchability, enslavement, the medicine to cure it is social justice. There are certain blocks to social justice. To change that the Union government must conduct the delayed decadal census and the caste census.”
The statue of VP Singh was inaugurated at the Presidency College in Chennai. The event was attended by Samajwadi President and Leader of Opposition in Uttar Pradesh (VP Singh’s birth place) Akhilesh Yadav, VP Singh’s wife Sita Kumari and son Abhai Singh. Also in attendance were MP and DMK deputy general secretary Kanimozhi, minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin, Minister for Water Resources Duraimurugan and MP Dayanidhi Maran.
The chief minister also said at the inauguration that: “VP Singh opened the doors for communities who were marginalised for generations. He was determined to do this even if it cost him his prime ministership. Installing his statue is a key duty of this Dravidian model government.”
The demand for a caste census has become a rallying point for the Opposition INDIA block. In October, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar released the caste census for his state. Karnataka has made moves towards conducting their own census too. Earlier this year in Tamil Nadu, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S Ramadoss had accused the DMK government of having delayed the caste census in Tamil Nadu in 1989 and in 2010, and alleged that they were doing so again now. Reacting to Stalin’s demand, Ramadoss on Monday urged the state government to carry out the caste census in Tamil Nadu similar to how the Bihar government had done so.