PMK founder S. Ramadoss announced that his party would conduct a seminar titled ‘Caste-wise Survey for Social Justice,’ on the importance of conducting a caste survey. The seminar, to be held on October 26, would see the participation of, apart from himself as the moderator, former PMK president G.K. Mani, former Supreme Court and High Court judges, legal experts and retired IAS officers, discussing thi topic.
In a statement, Dr. Ramadoss said that he has been reiterating the importance of conducting a caste-wise census to provide reservations based on that data for the last 44 years. “Even those who were herding goats on the roads understood my point of view and became social justice warriors. However, it is disappointing that the State government has not understood this social justice message. It is necessary to raise awareness about the importance of a caste-wise census and of reservations based on this data, among the people,” he said.
Dr. Ramadoss said that it was also the wish of Periyar to conduct a caste-wise census and provide 100% reservations based on it. “Before Independence, 100% reservations were provided based on the population. The Supreme Court has already said that an upper limit of reservations need not be considered, and so, what’s stopping those who claim to follow Periyar’s path from doing this,” he asked.
While the Bihar government has documented 19 types of data based on the caste survey it conducted and several other State governments such as Karnataka and Odisha have followed suit, promising the release of surveys already conducted, the Tamil Nadu government has stayed mum on this issue, Dr. Ramadoss alleged.
“Though the Tamil Nadu government and the party in power were reiterating the need for a caste census until the end of September, they have subsequently become silent on the issue. This is not good for a State that claims to be a land of social justice,” he said.
