Fighting shy of carrying out a caste survey like Bihar, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government of MK Stalin has shifted the responsibility of holding a caste census to the Union government and passed a resolution to this effect in the state assembly on Wednesday.

Moving the resolution, Stalin, citing the Census Act, said, “The Union government alone is empowered to conduct the census. Data collected by state governments through ‘caste surveys’ face the possibility of being stayed by the courts. Enumeration as per the Collection of Statistics Act is allowed only to collect data on socio-economic status of people. Under this exercise, the state government could not collect information listed under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.” He also blamed the Centre for the delay in holding the decennial census, which was earlier held up due to the Covid pandemic.

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“… To formulate policies for ensuring equal rights and opportunities in education and employment for everyone, a caste-based population census is essential. Therefore, this House unanimously urges the Union government to start the census process, due in 2021 itself, along with the caste-based census,” the resolution read. With Speaker M Appavu suspending the 61 AIADMK legislators for disrupting the proceedings over the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy, which had claimed 59 lives, including Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), the resolution was adopted unanimously.

The demand for a caste census/survey has been raised by the OBC-Vanniyar dominant Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) with an eye on the upcoming bypoll to the Tamil Nadu Assembly from Vikravandi, a Vanniyar hotbed. While the AIADMK had boycotted the poll, the PMK, as an NDA constituent, is facing the DMK in the seat. The previous AIADMK government of EPS had, on the eve of the last assembly elections, passed a Government Order, providing 10.5% exclusive quota for the Vanniyars, which has been struck down by the Supreme Court. However, the Vanniyar dominant party has been pressing for the same. The PMK’s reaction was on expected lines, with party founder S Ramadoss charging the DMK with betraying the community.