Anbumani questions DMK’s failure to conduct caste survey
PMK chairman Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss on Wednesday led protests at Egmore in Chennai against the DMK-led State government for not conducting a caste survey in Tamil Nadu and trained his guns on DMK’s alliance partners VCK chief Thol. Thirumavalavan, TNCC president K. Selvaperunthagai, MDMK Chief Vaiko and Dravidar Kazhagam president K. Veeramani – for remaining silent despite supporting the cause in principle.
Speaking at the protest, he said the caste-based poll was necessary to protect the 69% reservations in Tamil Nadu and ensure smooth implementation of government schemes. “The reservations currently provided are based on the census conducted in 1931. In 1931, the population of India was 28 crore; today it is 146 crore. The census of the Union government will be at the macro level and only the State government can provide data at the micro level. Therefore, only if the State Government conducts a caste-wise survey will the real situation of the people of Tamil Nadu be known,” he said.
Dr. Anbumani accused Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin of spreading lies and reiterated that the State Government’s power to conduct caste research has been upheld by the Courts, including the Karnataka High Court.
He asked whether all 76 communities in the Scheduled Caste list had adequate opportunities in terms of access to education and jobs. “How can we know this with evidence? Census is essential for this. Even among the Scheduled Tribes where 1 per cent reservation is provided, there are 36 sub-groups. Among them, 6-7 groups enjoy most of the reservation benefits, while the rest do not enjoy these benefits.”
It was published – 18 December 2025 12:36 IST
