PMK demands caste survey to protect 69% quota in Tamil Nadu
The conference raised the party’s key concern over internal reservation for Vanniyar community, their core vote bank
The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), an ally of the NDA, on Sunday called for a separate caste survey conducted by the state government to protect 69% reservation in Tamil Nadu. The party passed multiple resolutions at its youth conference which was conducted after 12 years.
The conference comes amid a clash between father and party founder S Ramadoss and his son and successor, former Union minister Anbumani Ramadoss. On April 19, PMK founder Ramadoss at a press conference took over the party from his son and Rajya Sabha PM Anbumani. Junior Ramadoss subsequently challenged his father asserting that he continues to be the party chief since he was elected by PMK’s general council. However, the father and son sat next to each other during the conference. “I will decide on the alliance and no one needs to worry about it,” said Ramadoss ahead of the 2026 assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.
Anbumani lauded his father for his efforts for over 45 years with the Union government for conducting a caste census. “Although it has been announced that a caste-based census will be conducted in India for the first time since 1931, the fact is that the data obtained through the caste-based census will not be sufficient to protect the 69% reservation currently in force in Tamil Nadu and to provide internal reservation to the most backward communities,” Anbumani said. “But, will our chief minister do it?”
The conference also raised the party’s key concern over internal reservation for Vanniyar community, their core vote bank. “In a case challenging the 69% reservation in Tamil Nadu, the Supreme Court, which ruled on 13.07.2010, had ordered that data on caste-wise population and backwardness of communities, etc., be collected within a year and the extent of reservation should be decided on the basis of that,” the party said.
“Similarly, in the case related to 10.5% reservation for Vanniyar, the Supreme Court ordered that relevant and current data on their social and educational backwardness should be collected and internal reservation should be provided on the basis of that. This data cannot be collected through a caste-wise population census conducted at the national level…A separate census is also needed to protect the newly filed case against the 69% reservation in Tamil Nadu, which could be heard in the Supreme Court at any time.”
The PMK criticised the ruling DMK and chief minister MK Stalin for saying that the internal reservation for Vanniyars can be provided only following a caste census. “Even though the Tamil Nadu government could have conducted a caste-wise survey directly or through the Tamil Nadu State Backward Classes Commission, the Tamil Nadu government’s refusal to do so shows that the current government has no interest or interest in providing social justice to the Vanniyar community,” the PMK said.
When the Vanniyar Sangam, the PMK’s ideological fount was started in 1980, the first resolution they passed was for a caste-wise population census to be conducted and reservations to be provided to all communities on the basis of that. The PMK conference also demanded that the Tamil Nadu government increase the reservation given to the Scheduled Castes from the current 18% to 20% based on the 2011 census.
The PMK also welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for announcing a caste census for India. The conference also demanded total prohibition and for the eradication of drugs.
