T.N. Transport Minister slams Anbumani’s remarks on caste census

S.S. Sivasankar, Minister for Transport
| Photo Credit: K.V. Srinivasan

Tamil Nadu Transport Minister S.S. Sivasankar on Wednesday (December 25, 2024) questioned whether Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) president Anbumani Ramadoss had the courage to ask its alliance partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which heads the Union government, to conduct a caste census.

He was reacting to Mr. Anbumani’s remark that the DMK government in Tamil Nadu had failed to conduct a caste census and was not taking measures to ensure internal reservation for the Vanniyar community.

In a statement, Mr. Sivasankar alleged that PMK founder S. Ramadoss and his son Anbumani were using the Vanniyar community as a pawn to bargain for more seats during elections.

They are trying to use the most backward community to strengthen their political bargaining, but in the previous general elections, people showed they could not be deceived, he added.

Countering Anbumani’s statement about giving unconditional support to the DMK in the 2026 Assembly election if Vanniyars were provided 15% internal reservation, the Minister questioned whether the leader would walk out of the BJP-led alliance, which was “causing hurdles” to reservation.

Mr. Sivasankar alleged that the BJP government was trying to destroy the system of reservation and Mr. Ramadoss and his son Mr. Anbumani have joined hands with them to betray people.

“I would like to remind Mr. Anbumani that due to the existing reservation for the most backward communities, the number of students from the Vanniyar community joining higher studies, including medical courses, has increased by more than 10.5% in the last 10 years. And a 10.5% internal reservation for Vanniyars would only affect them,” Mr. Sivasankar said.

The DMK government does not take hasty decisions; it takes decisions in such a way that it does not affect or get rejected by anyone, he further said.