PMK founder S. Ramadoss raised serious doubts over the AIADMK-PMK alliance on Wednesday, alleging that the ruling party’s leadership has not responded to its modified demand of internal reservation for Vanniyars within the MBC quota.
“The Chief Minister is keeping quiet. There has been no effort on their part to discuss the reservation issue. They said they would get back after Pongal but we did not receive any word from them. There are no legal tangles. We have come down from separate reservations to internal reservations within the MBC, but we are being told that these issues can be looked into after the election. How can this be accepted?” he asked during a virtual interaction with the media.
“We joined the AIADMK-led alliance in February 2019 and then Anbumani met the Chief Minister in August 2019 regarding separate reservation for Vanniyars. I have written several letters and received no response from the Chief Minister,” he said.
Two Ministers, who had met him last month, promised to resolve the issue in a matter of days. “After that, I did not hear from them. Again, two Ministers came to meet me before Pongal. We explained the whole story and we had modified our demand to internal reservation within the MBC quota,” he said.
Faults Karunanidhi
“A Narikuravar candidate had to compete with a candidate from a developed Backward Caste community until 1989. After that, MBC was created. I had suggested creation of 6 compartments in a scientific way just like other States to Kalaignar (DMK leader M. Karunanidhi). But he conspired and did not do it,” he contended.
“Which community or parties are opposing this demand? Educationally, economically, socially and politically, Vanniyars and Vanniyar-populated districts are lagging behind. Of the 20 Chief Ministers the State has seen, Vanniyars have not even taken charge as the ‘acting Chief Minister’. Of the 23 Vice-Chancellors [now], there is not a single Vanniyar,” he said.
He rejected that such a decision could be taken only on the basis of a report by a commission that has been instituted. “So far, a number of commissions such as Sattanathan Commission, Ambasankar Commission, K.N. Natarajan Commission, Janardhanan Commission, Thanikachalam Commission and Kulasekaran Commission have been constituted. These recommendations have not been implemented. It is just to delay action,” he charged.
PMK youth wing leader Anbumani Ramadoss said, “All we are asking for is internal reservation within the MBC quota. This is a developmental issue, not just a caste issue,” he said.
