DMK president M.K. Stalin.
| Photo Credit: M. VEDHAN
DMK president and former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Sunday urged the State government to adopt a resolution in the Tamil Nadu Assembly urging the Centre to conduct a proper caste census to ascertain the socio-economic status of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the country, evolve an appropriate reservation policy, and ensure the empowerment of OBCs.
In a social media message, he said the objective of the caste census could be achieved only if the census was conducted based on a list of communities prepared by the Central and the State governments.
He said the “open-ended format to record caste details without a pre-determined drop-down list or standardised menu”, as announced by the Centre, was disappointing. The explanation that the communities listed in the OBC list were not castes but classes was also not acceptable, he said.
Mr. Stalin said the Centre should consult the State governments and collect details of the castes listed under the Backward Classes and Most Backward Classes categories. People should be given an opportunity to choose a caste from the combined list, he said.
“If castes are collected based on the suggestions of the people, it will only create confusion. As already pointed out by those interested in social justice, it will result in claims relating to 46 lakh communities,” he said.
‘Waste of money, labour’
Mr. Stalin said if the present method was followed, it would result in the waste of ₹12,000 crore and the labour of government employees. “It will not offer any benefits and will only be an eyewash,” he said.
Published – September 06, 2026 10:25 pm IST
