PMK founder S. Ramadoss on Saturday said Chief Minister M.K. Stalin cannot claim to be the champion of social justice, while doing nothing to conduct a caste census in Tamil Nadu and implement the internal reservation for Vanniyars within the Most Backward Classes quota.
He was responding to Mr. Stalin’s remarks in a campaign speech in Dharmapuri, asking whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would endorse the demand for 10.5% reservation for Vanniyars and whether he had assured Dr. Ramadoss of a caste census.
Dr. Ramadoss replied that Mr. Stalin “appeared to be interested in the welfare of Vanniyars only while visiting Dharmapuri to seek votes”.
Requests raised
In a statement, he said it had been two years since the Supreme Court said the Vanniyar community could be given internal reservation within the MBC quota, but the Tamil Nadu government had not taken any steps to implement it.
“If the State government wanted to do it, it could have collated data and implemented the reservation. I have met Mr. Stalin thrice and urged him to do so. I have written eight letters so far. A group headed by Anbumani Ramadoss too met him thrice, and the PMK’s honorary president, G.K. Mani, advocate K. Balu and a few others met Ministers and officials and urged them to do the needful. But there was no response,” he added.
Others’ demands
“While he is voluntarily finding out the demands of members of other communities and implementing them, he has no heart to do the same for the Vanniyars. But he keeps talking about social justice on every stage,” Dr. Ramadoss added.
