Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S. Ramadoss on Tuesday demanded that the creamy layer concept in OBC reservation be removed, arguing that it goes against the principle of social justice.
In a statement, he said that a recent judgment of the Madras High Court was proof of the poor implementation of the 27 per cent reservation for OBCs while recruiting candidates for Central government jobs.
“The children of those working in private companies and earning ₹8 lakh per annum are being considered as part of the creamy layer and denied reservation benefits. What sort of social justice is this, when those engaged in State and Central government jobs aren’t considered as part of the creamy layer? This method is against social justice,” said Mr. Ramadoss.
He added that the recent Madras High Court judgment would pave the way for two candidates, who were denied opportunities, to get IFS and IPS postings respectively. “Apart from them, 60 more candidates who were denied their rights as per the reservation policy will get their due. In the last 27 years, there has not been a single methodology that has been used to properly identify the creamy layer, resulting in people being denied benefits,” he said.
Meanwhile, PMK youth wing leader Anbumani Ramadoss said that the Centre must change its “unfavourable stance” towards Tamil Nadu.
Referring to the water sharing dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, he said that the Centre had argued that the verdict of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal was not final. “The Centre’s representative argued in a much stronger manner than even Karnataka’s Counsel. The Centre completely works against the interests of Tamil Nadu,” he claimed.
“Be it the BJP or Congress, there is simply no difference. While the BJP has no chance of winning in Tamil Nadu, they are desperate to win the Assembly elections in Karnataka next year. Therefore, they are favouring Karnataka in this issue,” he said.
“Instead of waiting for the final Supreme Court verdict in this case, the Centre must immediately form the Cauvery Management Board and act in a manner which is fair to the people of both States,” he added.
