Derogatory caste names should not be used in Census, says VCK MP
Villupuram MP D. Ravikumar, general secretary of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), addressed Parliament on July 31, 2026, urging the Union government to eliminate the use of derogatory caste names in the Census and official documents, including Scheduled Caste certificates in Tamil Nadu.
Villupuram MP and VCK general secretary D. Ravikumar has raised concerns in Parliament about the use of derogatory caste names in the Census and official documents, including caste certificates issued to Scheduled Castes in Tamil Nadu. Ravikumar appealed to the Union government to direct the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India to discontinue the practice, arguing that such terms "dehumanise and stigmatise" entire communities and constitute an offence under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
He noted that the use of these terms was banned by the Justice Party Government of the Madras Presidency in 1922 and called for the government to align its official practices with this historical stance.
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