PMK founder S. Ramadoss on Thursday asked the Tamil Nadu government to conduct a caste census and release a schedule for the same at the earliest.
In a statement, he referred to the announcement made by the Andhra Pradesh government that it would be initiating a caste census from November 15 and policies would be implemented for the progress of those castes that are identified to be the most backward among the Other Backward Classes.
He said it was a welcome move that Andhra Pradesh was initiating a caste census following Karnataka, Bihar and Odisha. Noting that States that were concerned about social justice were initiating the exercise one after the other, he said it became certain that no State can afford not to conduct such a census.
He also accused the DMK government in Tamil Nadu of following double standards over the issue. According to him, while the DMK was stressing the need for a caste census on national platforms, it was refusing to proceed with the exercise in the State. If a caste census was not conducted in Tamil Nadu, which is hailed as the land of social justice, the State would get left behind in socio-economic progress, he added.
