PMK founder Dr. S. Ramadoss and PMK youth wing leader Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss on Saturday appeared to lob the ball back into Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s court as they reposed faith in his administration to collate the necessary data to justify 10.5% internal reservations for Vanniyars within the Most Backward Classes in education and jobs and pass the law again.
Both of them said that there was no need to launch major protests at this time.
Speaking at the party’s urgent executive committee meeting, Dr. Ramadoss said Chief Minister Stalin can collate all the data required within a week.
“Please take 2 weeks also. We all are expecting CM Stalin to do this. I hope my younger brother Stalin will do this. The data is already available. The data has to be compiled. The law should be passed again in the State Assembly. I will not announce any protests right now and it won’t be necessary. I believe that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister will do this swiftly,” he said.
Dr. Ramadoss said that the non-Vanniyar communities within Most Backward Classes should not stake a claim in the share of the Vanniyars.
“Some communities have been given 2.5% and a few others have been given 7%. But, what we must be given has not been given. We protested demanding 15% and then 14% and then 13%, but we could get only 10.5%. The communities that got 2.5% and 7% got together against us. I urge the communities to get together and pass resolution supporting the Vanniyar reservations and admitting that what they did was wrong,” he said.
Dr. Anbumani said that Supreme Court, in its verdict, has flagged the issue of lack of data and it would take just a week to collate it.
“The data is available since 1956, but it has not been placed before the court convincingly. The Sattanathan Commission has collated data in 1969. In 1984, Ambasankar Commission did door-to-door enumeration. The internal reservations for Arundhathiyars and for Muslims were given based on the Janardhanan Commission report, and it is accepted. But, when 10.5% internal reservations are given to Vanniyars, it is not accepted. Why?” he asked. He said the State government had done their best to win this case in the Supreme Court and added that there was no connection with conduct of socio-economic caste census. “It must be easy to find out the social and economic backwardness of Vanniyars and others by looking into the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission data,” he added.
Dr. Anbumani also appeared to launch an attack on politicians, who speak of social justice often but have refused to say anything after the Vanniyar reservation was stayed. “What could be a bigger social justice issue than reservation getting cancelled? Even those who claim to be the inheritors of Periyar’s legacy of social justice….did not even say a word. They are chameleons. Why are they unable to speak about it?” he asked.
Dr. Anbumani said that the case against the 10.5% reservations for Vanniyars was filed by ‘those who enjoyed the reservation for 31 years….which was a result of Dr. Ramadoss’ efforts’. The resolution passed during the meeting said that a seven-member committee headed by Dr. Anbumani would meet Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and reiterate the need to act swiftly on this issue.
