Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami welcomed the caste census, saying that it was being conducted after 93 years and that it had been a long time demand of the people of Tamil Nadu
Chennai: Political parties in Tamil Nadu welcomed the Caste Census announced by the Union Government on Wednesday with the Chief Minister M K Stalin terming it as another triumph for DMK and the INDIA block in their arduous social justice journey, driven by the ideals of the Dravidian Model.
Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami welcomed the caste census, saying that it was being conducted after 93 years and that it had been a long time demand of the people of Tamil Nadu.
PMK founder S Ramadoss, welcoming the decision wholeheartedly, said that it was his party that demanded it in 1998. Though the then Home Minister L K Advani had taken measures for the caste Census in 2001, it was given up because of the Gujarat earthquake.
President of the PMK Anbumani Ramadoss said the caste census was required to find out the status of the various communities and added that the BJP government’s decision was a historic one.
Stalin, in his X message, said that it was a hard-earned victory for the Tamil Nadu Government and DMK and they were the first to adopt a resolution in the Legislative Assembly demanding Caste Census.
‘We championed this cause in every forum. We reiterated this demand in every meeting with the Prime Minister and through multiple letters, consistently urging the Union Government to take responsibility’ he said.
However he raised what he described as key questions –when will the Census begin and when it will conclude – that had not been answered and added that the timing was no coincidence.
With Social Justice dominating the Bihar Elections narrative, the sudden move to hold the Caste Census reeked of political expediency and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who once accused opposition parties of dividing people on caste line, had now yielded to the very same demand that he had maligned repeatedly.
‘After the failure of all its attempts to deny and delay the much-needed caste enumeration, the Union BJP Government has finally announced that it will be conducted along with the forthcoming Census,’ he pointed out.
Caste Census was essential and not optional for objective policymaking, targeted welfare and the pursuit of real social justice since one could not remedy injustice without first recognizing its scale, he said.
‘While others called for state-level caste surveys, we stood firm: Census is a Union subject. Only the Union Government can and should deliver a legally binding caste enumeration under the Census Act. Our stand is now vindicated,’ he said.
