PMK founder S. Ramadoss on Sunday urged the Centre to collect caste-wise population census data.
In a statement, he said the reasons cited to collect SC/ST population data since 1951 were applicable for collecting population data of Other Backward Classes since 2001. “If the caste-wise population data is not collected, there is a danger of removal of OBC reservation. In India, caste-wise census is necessary and cannot be ignored,” he said.
Dr. Ramadoss also said the Centre’s reasoning that the caste-wise population census was not necessary when the government was trying to create a ‘casteless’ society showed its ignorance.
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“Castes didn’t create themselves all of a sudden. Castes were created based on jobs done by people and the discrimination faced by them. The inequality and caste-based professions have to be abolished to create an equal society. For this, all communities have to develop and reservation is the basis for this. Centre must realise that caste-wise population census is necessary to ensure this,” the PMK leader said.