Caste Census Politics: How the DMK Forced the BJP’s Hand on Social Justice

Chief Minister Stalin speaking in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. The demand for a caste census has become a litmus test for inclusive governance, as the DMK accuses the BJP of inaction and expediency while asserting the need for data-driven policymaking.
| Photo Credit: Sai Venkatesh R / The Hindu

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has claimed that the BJP was forced to announce the caste census because the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) 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.

Indeed, the DMK can credibly claim to be a pioneer in seeking caste enumeration. It was the DMK government, under Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, that set up the P.V. Venkatakrishnan Commission in 1988 to collect caste-related data in Tamil Nadu. Though the exercise did not take off, Karunanidhi repeatedly called for a national-level caste census to ensure social justice.

The DMK’s election manifesto for the 2021 State Assembly election promised to urge the Union government to conduct a caste census.

Soon after coming to power, in 2022, Stalin launched the All India Federation for Social Justice, bringing together activists and political leaders. Leaders from various political parties across the country participated in the third conference of the federation held in December 2024. The conference emphasised that not conducting caste census amounted to denying social justice. “The BJP’s deliberate inaction is an insult to the marginalised communities. We demand its immediate conduct without excuses,” the resolution passed at the conference stated.

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Placing the census in the context of gender rights, the conference asserted that women’s reservation should not be postponed to some distant election in the future. “The BJP’s deceptive conditions for its implementation are a shameless tactic to delay justice for women. This betrayal must end now,” it said.

In June 2024, the DMK government also passed a resolution in the legislative Assembly demanding a caste census. Moving the resolution, Stalin asserted that only the Union government could conduct a valid caste census under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948. (Census falls under the Union List as per Article 246 of the Constitution). He said the Centre “should immediately conduct a caste-based census, which is the basis for reservation, along with the population census, without further delay.”

The DMK’s view has been that the caste census is not an optional exercise; it is essential for every intervention required for improving the conditions of the marginalised castes. According to the party, it is a historically accepted fact that caste has been a key determinant of the prospects of social progress in our society.

Soon after the Centre announced a caste census, Stalin said in a post on the social media platform X: “You cannot remedy injustice without first recognising its scale.” “India deserves transparency and equity,” he added in another post.

Alliance parties in the ruling coalition participating in a seminar organised by the Congress party on caste census in Chennai on September 25, 2023.
| Photo Credit:
B. Velankanni Raj

But Stalin doubted the intention of the BJP government behind the announcement: “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. But key questions remain unanswered—when will the census begin? When will it conclude?”

In the same post, Stalin wondered if the BJP-led Union government, which prioritises winning elections over all else, was dangling the caste census card to get votes in Bihar. “The timing is no coincidence. With social justice dominating the Bihar elections narrative, this sudden move reeks of political expediency. The same Prime Minister who once accused opposition parties of dividing people on caste has now yielded to the very demand, he maligned repeatedly.”

But the DMK and Stalin have also faced criticism over the caste census. Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S. Ramadoss flayed the DMK for not following through on the 1988 committee as well as his demand for such a census in 2010—again when the DMK was in power. Both the PMK and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi had demanded a caste census after the Stalin government assumed office in 2021, along the lines of what Bihar, Karnataka, and Telangana had done.

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In October 2023, Stalin requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to integrate caste census with the national decadal census. “This step is paramount for ensuring social justice and fostering inclusive growth. It’s been 90 years since the last one in 1931, and the demographic and socioeconomic landscape of our country has undergone many changes. Delaying this crucial step only perpetuates inequity,” he had said.

Responding to this, the then president of Tamil Nadu BJP, K. Annamalai, claimed that the demand exposed DMK’s double standards. “After DMK came to power in May 2021, it denied an extension of 6 months to the Kulasekaran Commission formed by the previous government [led by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)] for conducting a caste survey in Tamil Nadu. What stopped the DMK from granting a six-month extension, knowing the commission was already halfway through?” he asked.

All regional political parties in the State have been on the same side when it comes to reservations in education and employment. Tamil Nadu still maintains 69 per cent reservation in education because, regardless of whether it is the DMK or the AIADMK in power, successive governments have consistently safeguarded the rights of the depressed classes. Of course, there is always a tussle over who deserves the credit—but that quarrel comes only after they have managed to deliver something tangible to the people.