01-05-2025
Caste-based census a regressive move, says Krishnasamy
Puthiya Tamilagam founder president K. Krishnasamy on Thursday said the caste-based census was a regressive move and must be reconsidered.
Addressing the media here, he said the 7th State conference of the party would be held in Madurai in December. He had started on a tour of villages across Thoothukudi district, which would continue until May 31.
'All political parties have begun their election-related activities. Similarly, Puthiya Tamilagam has also initiated efforts to strengthen the party. In line with this, our upcoming conference is being organised with the vision of playing a role in both governance and power during the 2026 Assembly elections,' he said.
The idea of only a single party holding power must change. 'If it is an alliance, then the governance must also have allies. The era of single party rule must come to an end and we are aiming to bring a new political structure to Tamil Nadu,' he added.
Commenting on the caste-based census, he said, 'While several other political parties are demanding such a census, the Puthiya Tamilagam does not support it and we believe it is not a progressive step. India has already been divided on the basis of religion, which even led to the partition of the country. Economically, India is progressing rapidly and, in this context, conducting a caste-based census is not appropriate.'
Further, 'there are many sub castes within castes. How will the government categorise them all? Rather than reinforcing the caste identities, efforts should be made to foster national unity by seeing everyone as equal citizens of the country.'
He alleged that the BJP-led government had announced the initiative for political reasons and warned that such a census would serve to further entrench caste divisions and could cause serious consequences. Hence, the BJP government must reconsider the decision.
