KOTTAYAM: Asserting that the caste census announced by the Union government would divide people on the basis of caste and religion, the influential Nair Service Society (NSS) is planning to challenge the move in court.
The Centre had on June 4 announced that Population Census-2027 will be conducted in two phases along with the enumeration of castes. The first phase will begin on October 1, 2026, and the second on March 1, 2027. On Tuesday, the Karnataka government too announced a fresh caste survey.
The NSS’ move is expected to create significant political challenge for the BJP, which has been making all-out efforts to widen its political base in Kerala ahead of the local body elections this year and the assembly elections in 2026.
NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair has written to the President, Vice-President and Prime Minister, urging them to abandon the caste survey, and confine the census exercise to gathering demographic data on the nation’s population.
The NSS has adopted an aggressive posture amid widespread criticism of its stand on the issue from various communities and social organisations, including the SNDP.
In his letter, Nair said caste-based census contradicts the principles of the Constitution and risks dividing people on the basis of castes and religion. He drew parallels to the British colonial era, recalling the communal census conducted in 1931, which aimed to separate electorates by segregating the constituencies on the basis of religion.