Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on March 23, accused the DMK government of showing no interest in conducting a caste census in the state.
Addressing the media at Omalur of Salem district, he claimed that the previous AIADMK-led government had initiated steps to collect caste-based data, but the DMK did not follow through after coming to power in 2021.
Palaniswami said that during the AIADMK’s tenure (2016-2021), a one-man commission was set up to collect quantifiable caste data. A Government Order (GO) was also issued, but after six months, when the commission’s tenure ended, the DMK government allegedly failed to extend it. “The DMK has not taken any steps to conduct a caste census and is only coming up with excuses to delay it,” EPS told media persons.
AIADMK has joined a growing list of political parties in Tamil Nadu demanding a caste census. Leaders from Puthiya Tamilagam, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), and Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) have also called for a caste survey to ensure equitable representation in jobs and resources.
Puthiya Tamilagam’s founder K Krishnasamy, whose party represents the Devendra Kula Vellalar community, has argued that instead of implementing internal reservations, a caste census among Scheduled Castes (SC) is necessary for fair distribution of government benefits. PMK founder S Ramadoss also accused the DMK government of delaying the survey despite having the resources to conduct it. “Instead of taking responsibility, they keep urging the Union government to do it,” he said.
TVK, the newly formed party led by actor-politician Vijay, passed a resolution at its executive committee meeting demanding a caste census both at the state and national levels. “The DMK claims to uphold social justice, but its failure to conduct a caste census contradicts that claim,” the resolution stated.
India has conducted a national census every ten years since 1881. However, the last caste census was conducted in 1931, nearly a century ago. From 1951 to 2011, caste-based data was collected only for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister MK Stalin has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to integrate the caste census with the national decadal census. Stalin noted that such a survey would help policymakers assess the impact of past policies and plan future strategies. He pointed out that caste enumeration requires legislative backing, as the Census falls under the Union List in the Constitution, giving the Union government exclusive powers to legislate on it.
However, the AIADMK leader said the Chief Minister MK Stalin was unwilling to conduct the caste census, providing various reasons to delay it and showing no interest in the issue.
It should be noted that the states that are governed by the INDIA bloc, of which the DMK is a part, have conducted caste censuses. The Congress-led Telangana government completed a caste survey in late 2024, covering 96.9% of households and surveying 3.54 crore people. The Karnataka government has also conducted a caste census and assured that its findings will be implemented.