Archive · 17 Sep 2026
Tamil Nadu Congress Launches Campaign Over Proposed Caste Census Method
Tamil Nadu Congress leaders are starting a campaign about how caste information should be collected.
They want the census to use a list of community names instead of allowing people to enter answers freely.
They say this could reduce mistakes and duplicate entries.
Congress leader Manickam Tagore says accurate numbers are important for reservation, education, jobs and welfare programs.
He accused the Union government of trying to hide the true size of Other Backward Classes communities.
The government’s stated position, as described by Tagore, is that there is no complete OBC list for this purpose.
The campaign will take place in 10 major cities across Tamil Nadu.
Tagore also criticized the handling of corporate loan write-offs and discussed the Left parties’ decision to contest bypolls separately.
The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee will begin a statewide caste census campaign on Thursday.
The campaign will hold public meetings and discussions in 10 major Tamil Nadu cities.
Congress opposes open-ended caste questions and supports predefined community lists for OBC data.
Manickam Tagore alleged the Union government’s approach could undercount OBC communities and affect representation.
Tagore also raised concerns about loan write-offs and commented on Left parties contesting upcoming bypolls independently.
- Who
- The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, led by president and Virudhunagar MP Manickam Tagore; Ghulam Ahmad Mir and K. Veeramani will participate.
- What
- A statewide campaign opposing open-ended caste questions in the proposed population census and advocating predefined community lists.
- When
- The campaign is scheduled to launch on Thursday; the article does not provide a specific date.
- Where
- Across Tamil Nadu, including public meetings in 10 major cities.
- Why
- Congress says predefined lists would improve accuracy and help ensure reliable data for social justice, reservation and welfare policies.
Congress and social justice advocates
Union government position
How caste data should be collected
Congress and social justice advocates
Congress supports predefined drop-down lists, arguing they would reduce errors, duplication and misclassification.
Union government position
The Centre has proposed open-ended questions for OBC caste information, with Tagore saying it has cited the absence of a comprehensive OBC list.
Effect on OBC representation
Congress and social justice advocates
Manickam Tagore alleges that the proposed method could conceal the actual OBC population and reduce communities’ representation in politics, education and employment.
Union government position
The Union government’s stated rationale, as described in the article, is that no comprehensive list of OBC communities is available for the collection process.
Timing of the caste census
Congress and social justice advocates
Tagore says the Centre previously deferred the caste census while citing issues related to delimitation.
Union government position
The article reports the Centre’s delimitation-related explanation but does not provide a separate response to Congress’s allegations.
- Campaign organizer
- Tamil Nadu Congress Committee
- Campaign scope
- Public meetings and interactive discussions in 10 major Tamil Nadu cities
- Congress proposal
- Use a drop-down system based on predefined community lists
- Census phase
- The second phase of the population census will include caste-related information
- Loan write-offs cited
- Manickam Tagore said Rs 35,716 crore had been written off
- Recovery figure cited
- Tagore said only 28% of the written-off amount had been recovered