Chief Minister is not willing to conduct caste census, says Palaniswami

Former AIADMK CM accuses CM Stalin of avoiding caste census, criticizes DMK government's failures and lack of transparency.

Former Chief Minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Sunday said Chief Minister M.K. Stalin was unwilling to conduct a caste census in the State.

Interacting with journalists after a function in Omalur, where hundreds of people joined the AIADMK, he said during the last AIADMK regime [2016-21], a one-man commission was constituted for the collection of quantifiable data on castes, communities, and tribes in the State. A Government Order (G.O.) was also issued.

“After six months, the tenure of the Commission should have been extended. However, the DMK government, which came to power in 2021, did not do this,” Mr. Palaniswami said. He further alleged that the Chief Minister was unwilling to conduct the caste census, providing various reasons to delay it and showing little interest in the issue.

Regarding the Joint Action Committee (JAC) on Fair Delimitation, organised by the Chief Minister, Mr. Palaniswami called it an act meant to hide the failures and problems of the DMK government over the past four years. He argued the the issue should be raised in Parliament. “While the DMK MPs staged a demonstration on Parliament premises on this matter, Congress MPs [from outside Tamil Nadu] did not participate. Had Congress participated, we could believe that the JAC meeting would have had a positive outcome. The JAC meeting in Chennai on Saturday was just a diversion from law and order issues and corruption,” he said.

Mr. Palaniswami also alleged that his speech in the Tamil Nadu Assembly was not broadcast [fully]. He referred to the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) claim of a ₹1,000-crore financial fraud in the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac), asserting that corruption was rampant in all departments, not just Tasmac.

He clarified that the Chief Minister had said the earned leave (EL) surrender system was stopped during the AIADMK regime, but explained that schools were closed due to COVID-19, and teachers were unable to attend, making it impossible to grant EL. He emphasised that the AIADMK had not stopped the EL system. Mr. Palaniswami said the party would include the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme and other demands of the government employees in its 2026 Assembly election manifesto after considering the State’s financial position and possibility of implementation.

Responding to a question about the BJP allegedly pressuring the AIADMK to reinstate expelled leaders, such as V.K. Sasikala, Mr. Palaniswami denied the claim, labelling it as media speculation. “The AIADMK is functioning well, and there are no plans to induct expelled members into the party now or in the future,” he added. Regarding the Rajya Sabha election, he said the AIADMK would explain its position once the notification for the election was issued.