Flawed caste Census could hurt OBC quota, warns MK Stalin

CHENNAI: DMK president and former Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday (September 6) urged the Centre to revise the proposed methodology for recording caste details in the 2027 Census, warning that an open-ended system could lead to serious discrepancies and undermine the exercise's objective of determining the actual population and socio-economic status of OBC communities.

Stalin took exception to the Centre's decision to record caste details through an open-ended format without a predetermined drop-down list or standardised menu, describing the move as disappointing.

He rejected the Centre's explanation that the entries in the OBC list represented classes rather than castes.

He said the Centre should consult state governments, obtain and compile the lists of castes covered under the backward and most backward categories in each state, and provide respondents the option to select their caste from the relevant list.

Allowing people to enter caste names on their own, he argued, could create confusion and potentially produce an erroneous figure suggesting that India has 46 lakh castes.

"The very purpose of a caste Census is to ascertain the actual population of OBC communities and their educational, social and economic status," Stalin said in a statement, adding that reliable data was essential for framing reservation policies and welfare schemes aimed at their advancement.

He warned that continuing with the present methodology could render the estimated Rs 12,000 crore expenditure on the Census and the efforts of lakhs of government employees futile, turning the exercise into a mere eyewash.

Stalin urged the Centre to immediately take corrective measures rather than attempt to justify what he described as a flawed approach.

On behalf of the DMK, he sought protection of the social justice rights of backward and most backward communities.

He also called on the Tamil Nadu government to adopt a special resolution during the ongoing Assembly session and exert pressure on the Centre to address the issue.