Syed Ali Mujtaba | Clarion India
CHENNAI — A consultative meeting of representatives of various social and caste organisations was held on February 10, 2025, to discuss the urgent need to conduct caste-wise enumeration in Tamil Nadu.
The meeting was held in the background of the Supreme Court’s public pronouncement that now when the Maratha (reservation) case is completed, it would take up the case of Tamil Nadu, which has given 69% reservations to the MBC, and SC/STs.
Raising the alarm bell was Anbumani Ramadoss, the President of the PMK party. “In 2009, Supreme Court judge Justice Kapadia delivered a verdict saying caste census should be conducted within a year and data should be presented to justify the 69% reservation in Tamil Nadu.”
”So far the DMK government’s “inability” to present adequate data to justify the 69% reservations may result in the policy being scrapped and may lead to widespread violence in the state,” he said.
Mr. Anbumani’s remarks were made in the background of the DMK government not taking measures to ensure internal reservation for the Vanniyar community. This the PMK leader said is due to the failure of the DMK government to conduct a caste census.
The PMK just before the last assembly elections prevailed over the ruling AIADMK government to give 10.5% reservation to the Vanniyar community, who are 11.66% in the state.
The Madras High Court ruled against the AIADMK government’s decision, which the Supreme Court also upheld.
“The reservation to the Vanniyar community violates the fundamental rights of equality, non-discrimination, and equal opportunity of 115 other most backward communities (MBCs) and de-notified communities (DNCs) in Tamil Nadu,” the Supreme Court said.
“The allotment of 10.5% reservation to a single community from within the total MBC quota of 20% in the State, leaving only 9.5% to 115 other communities in the MBC category, was without “substantial basis” and “antiquated data,” the Supreme Court ruled.
Responding to PMK leader’s musings on caste census, the Tamil Nadu Transport Minister S.S. Sivasankar questioned whether the PMK dares to ask its alliance partner, the BJP to conduct a caste census in the entire country, if not, at least in the BJP-ruled states.
Joining the issues, Muslim leader and MLA, M.H. Jawahirullah, also made a pitch for the caste census to know the actual size of the Muslim castes eligible for reservation in Tamil Nadu. “Muslim castes are now getting 3.5 % reservation based on assumptions and not backed by any empirical data. This can be verified only through the caste census” the leader said.
“The number of Muslim OBC could be much higher and the correct figure could be arrived only through the caste census,” he added.
It appears after Bihar and Telangana, Tamil Nadu may be the next state to go for a caste census in India.
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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com
