NDA ally demands caste survey in Tamil Nadu, show of strength at conference

India Today

12-05-2025

In a powerful display of political revival and community mobilisation, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) president Anbumani Ramadoss led the Chithirai Muzhu Nilavu Vanniyar Youth Conference near Mahabalipuram on Sunday.'Every year, for thousands of years, our community has been celebrating Chithirai Full Moon celebrations in the place which was ruled by us. This time, we're here not just to celebrate, but to demand a caste survey,' Anbumani declared to an audience he claimed ran into lakhs. 'We thank Prime Minister Modi for announcing the caste census. But what we need is micro-level data, like what Bihar did. That will only come if the Tamil Nadu government conducts its own survey under the Indian Statistical Act, 2008.'advertisement'Though the Union government has decided, our man has not decided yet,' Anbumani said, taking a dig at Chief Minister MK Stalin.
He slammed Chief Minister MK Stalin for 'misleading the Assembly' by claiming that the state lacked the authority to conduct a caste survey. 'How are Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra and Odisha able to do it then? Is Tamil Nadu in China or Japan?' he asked, drawing loud cheers from the crowd.He also called Chief Minister Stalin's current stance a betrayal and accused him of lying in Assembly. He asked how during the earlier regimes, both MGR and Stalin's father Karunanidhi were able to undertake caste-based data collection. 'If that is so, how did your father conduct the survey? How did MGR initiate door-to-door enumeration?'Questioning the ideological stance of the ruling party, Anbumani said, 'Lies are being propagated in the Assembly and outside. Isn't your ideology to provide for the underprivileged? Of the 115 communities in most backward classes, 114 comes to 6.8% while Vanniyar community comes up to 18%. It is not just enough to talk about Social Justice alone. You are not qualified to speak about Social Justice. The Chief Minister is lying that he does not have the authority,' Anbumani lashed out at the DMK government and the chief minister.advertisementAnbumani accused successive Dravidian parties of treating the Vanniyar community — one of the largest in Tamil Nadu — as just a vote bank. 'You remember us during elections. In 1957, 14 of DMK's 15 winning seats were in Vanniyar constituencies. Even today, there are 23 Vanniyar MLAs in the Assembly. Yet we still live in hutments and work as daily wagers,' he said.Ramadoss declared that 'extensive and historic protests' would be announced if the 10.5% internal reservation for Vanniyars was not implemented, adding that the community was ready to make 'any sacrifice necessary.'RESOLUTION AND POLITICAL SIGNALSAt the conference, PMK passed 14 resolutions, most focused on reservations. One demanded a separate caste survey by the state to supplement the Union government's caste census, arguing that without it, Tamil Nadu's unique 69% reservation quota could come under legal threat.'Without data, we will never know who is actually benefiting from reservations,' said Anbumani. 'If I were Chief Minister, my first order would be to conduct a caste survey. Lies are being propagated both inside and outside the Assembly. You cannot claim to stand for social justice while denying data and fair quotas.'He also called for extending reservations to the private sector, especially in Group B and C jobs that are increasingly outsourced, and proposed revenue-sharing models for land acquisition. 'If I decide to build a ten-lane highway, I will make the landowner a stakeholder, not hand it over to Adani or Ambani. Why should only they benefit?' he asked, taking aim at big corporates.advertisementHe criticised the DMK for failing to act on the recommendations of the Janardhanan Commission, which had suggested 13.1% internal reservation for the Vanniyar community, even while accepting similar recommendations for Arunthathiyars and Muslims.SOCIAL JUSTICE, NOT JUST INFRASTRUCTURE'This is not a show of strength, this is a call for justice,' Anbumani declared, addressing the massive turnout. 'Lakhs of my brothers and sisters have gathered here because they are fed up. The Vanniyar community and other backward classes have been repeatedly sidelined by the DMK government, which has no real concern for social justice.'He criticised the state's development priorities, stating, 'Real development isn't about malls, tech parks, smart cities, or highways. It's about empowering people through education and employment—and that is the core demand of this conference.' Stressing that the demand for a caste survey has been consistent for two years, he warned that protests would only intensify until the state government acts.advertisementPMK founder S Ramadoss issued a warning of 'extensive and historic protests' unless the state government acted on Vanniyar internal reservations. 'The community is ready to make any sacrifice,' he said, while also warning party office-bearers of consequences if their performance didn't improve.Despite internal power tussles and questions over his leadership, Anbumani struck a defiant and ambitious note. 'Until now, we've been a community that gives petitions. It's time we become the community that receives them.'TAKING AIM AT ACTOR-POLITICIAN VIJAYAnbumani warned young voters against 'those who speak cinema dialogues,' in a veiled swipe at actor-turned-politician Vijay. 'Don't go behind anyone else. Come behind me. I live for you. The time has come, we should rule.'He asserted that the PMK would decide its electoral alliances closer to the 2026 Assembly polls. 'Elections are 10 months away. We will take the decision at the right time,' he said, amid speculation over PMK's stance after the BJP-AIADMK alliance took shape without them.'If we come to power,' he concluded, 'we will make Tamil Nadu like Singapore — and implement true social justice.'On alliances, with AIADMK already finalising its pact with the BJP, Anbumani remained non-committal, saying, 'Elections are ten months away. We will decide at the right time.' PMK has been allied with the National Democratic Alliance, led by the BJP.advertisementHISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE, MODERN OPTICSThis was the first time in 12 years that the Chithirai conference — historically significant for the Vanniyar community — was held, and it marked PMK's biggest outreach event, which gained importance amid renewed internal tensions and electoral uncertainty.Father and son — S Ramadoss and Anbumani — shared the stage at the conference despite their recent public spat over party leadership. Last month, the elder Ramadoss announced that he was resuming control of the PMK, effectively sidelining Anbumani, who was elected by the party's general council.At the conference, Anbumani took centre stage, outlining an aggressive roadmap focused on social justice and internal reservation for Vanniyars. The 2013 edition had led to caste clashes and the arrest of senior PMK leaders, including founder S Ramadoss.Must Watch