After the release of the caste data from Bihar, the demand for a caste survey is now being heard in Tamil Nadu, with ruling DMK ally Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), NDA partner Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), and the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) calling for it on Tuesday. In a statement, VCK chief and Dalit leader Thol Thirumavalan said: “Even after 75 years of Independence, various categorised classes continue to struggle in accessing their rightful positions in education, job opportunities, and political representation.” Drawing attention to Bihar's survey data, where the Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) make up 63% of the state's population, Thirumavalan said the BJP was “skewed towards preserving the interests of the upper castes”. “While the SC-ST community should ideally receive reservation equivalent to their population, the imposition of a 50% cap (on overall reservations) means their reservation cannot be increased. After providing 10% reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections, there have been strong demands to raise the 50% reservation cap. However, the central BJP government did not consider this,” the statement said. The VCK added that over the years, the Supreme Court has “rejected” state governments’ attempts to increase the ceiling, citing that there is no recent data on the population of the Most Backward Classes. Demanding that the Tamil Nadu government initiate a caste survey, the VCK statement called for a law to delegate the authority of providing reservations to state governments. Anbumani Ramadoss of the PMK, whose core base is the Economically Backward Class (EBC) Vanniyar community, congratulated Bihar's leadership for its caste survey, saying “the achievement affirms the state's commitment to social justice”. Talking about Tamil Nadu's “own legacy in pioneering reservations for backward classes in 1951”, Ramadoss said the current DMK regime was “lagging behind” in upholding it. Ramadoss said “a caste census was the main demand and the first major resolution passed in 1980 when the Vanniyar Association was established” and demanded that Tamil Nadu conduct one. He also quoted the Supreme Court’s call for finding out the caste population numbers during rulings on the reservation ceiling. The AMMK's general secretary, TTV Dhinakaran, who was ousted from the AIADMK and is now hoping to be a part of the NDA alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, slammed the DMK for “inaction” on the matter. Highlighting the dissolution of the Justice Kulasekaran Commission in 2021, which was tasked with collecting caste-wise data, Dhinakaran said a "caste census was key to preserve Tamil Nadu's “69% reservation policy and ensure welfare measures touch everyone”. TN’s history The state's 69% reservation quota — including 30% for OBCs, 20% for MBCs, 18% for SCs, and 1% for STs — is inclusive of Christians and Muslims. In 1951, Tamil Nadu set a precedent by introducing 16% reservation for SCs and STs and 25% for OBCs. In 1971, the M Karunanidhi-led DMK government increased OBC reservation to 30% and that for SC/STs to 18%, with 1% set aside for STs. In 1989-90, again when Karunanidhi was the CM, the DMK government set aside 20% reservation exclusively for MBCs, taking them out of OBCs, who continued to retain 30% overall now as BCs, for state government educational institutions and jobs. Karunanidhi decided to split the MBCs and BCs after an agitation by PMK founder S Ramadoss in the late 1980s. Since the 1970s, there had been panels that validated this, including the A N Sattanathan Commission (1971) and J A Ambasankar Commission (1982) under the MGR regime. When the Tamil Nadu quota ran into legal obstacles after the Supreme Court’s 1992 verdict setting a 50% ceiling, the then CM J Jayalalithaa, along with other leaders of various parties, led a delegation to New Delhie to meet then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao. Tamil Nadu’s reservation provision was then included in the Ninth Schedule. Reservation shares became a topic of discussion in the run-up to the 2021 Assembly polls. Minutes before the Election Commission of India announced the poll dates, the AIADMK, in power at the time, declared 10.5% reservation for the Vanniyar community. The move was widely believed to be an attempt to counter the strong anti-incumbency sentiment against the AIADMK. In November 2021, the Madras High Court invalidated the government's decree, labelling it “ultra vires to the Indian constitution". The promise to Vanniyars created discontent among OBC communities such as Thevars and Gounders who protested against the decision.
