The AIADMK on Friday claimed that the Centre’s decision to provide 27% reservation to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in admission to medical courses through the all-India quota (AIQ) was due to the legal battle initiated by it.
Welcoming the development, O. Panneerselvam and Edappadi K. Palaniswami, coordinator and co-coordinator of the party, in a statement said the rights of the OBCs in all the States had been ensured through their party’s efforts. They said Mr. Palaniswami, as Chief Minister, had written thrice to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during March 2018 to January 2020 on the issue. and submitted representations in this regard. Besides, it was their colleague and former Minister C.Ve. Shanmugam who first filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court, demanding 50% reservation for the OBCs in AIQ. Others had impleaded themselves with this petition.
Disposing of the petition, the High Court, in July last year, directed the Central government to set up a committee to “finalise” the OBC reservation. When approached by the AIADMK and others, the Supreme Court had declined to provide any interim relief.
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Subsequently, a panel was formed by the Central government in which P. Umanath, an IAS officer, was made a nominee of the Tamil Nadu government in August 2020. It was on the basis of the committee’s report that the Centre’s decision was taken, Mr. Panneerselvam and Mr. Palaniswami pointed out, thanking Mr. Modi.
The two leaders added that their party would continue to strive for securing 50% reservation for the OBCs.