Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Thursday said the Union government’s decision to provide 27% reservation for OBCs in all-India quota (AIQ) seats in medical courses was a “victory for Tamil Nadu and especially for the struggle of the DMK for social justice”.
However, he reiterated the DMK’s demand for reserving 69% seats, including 50% for the OBCs.
“The DMK will continue to take steps until social justice is completely realised,” Mr. Stalin said in a statement.
The Chief Minister said the Mandal Commission’s recommendations had not been entirely implemented even 25 years after they came into effect.
“The Union government’s decision today [July 29] is a consolation. This is a significant move in the history of social justice,” he said.
Meeting with PM
Mr. Stalin recalled that the DMK had pitched for OBC reservation in AIQ seats in both Houses of Parliament, and he had personally insisted upon the demand during his meeting with the Prime Minister after assuming office as the Chief Minister.
“It was on a plea moved by the DMK that the Madras High Court on July 27, 2020, delivered a historic judgment saying that students from OBCs had the right for reservation in AIQ seats in medical education,” the Chief Minister said.
Over the years, more than 10,000 students have lost their right to benefit from the non-implementation of the reservation in this quota by the Union government, he said, adding that students from Tamil Nadu were the worst affected.
Citing the Union government’s announcement that over 1,500 MBBS seats and 2,500 postgraduate medical seats would be earmarked for OBCs in AIQ, Mr. Stalin said, “The DMK has ensured that about 4,000 students from OBCs benefited from its struggle for social justice.”
‘State’s victory’
Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) leader Anbumani Ramadoss, too, welcomed the Union government’s announcement, and termed it a victory for Tamil Nadu.
In a statement, he said the PMK and all other parties in the State had pursued the issue legally, and it was a big victory for all of them too.
Mr. Anbumani, however, said the PMK’s stand was that the AIQ should be abolished, and States should fill the seats. He assured the people that the party would take steps to achieve the goal.
Published - July 30, 2021 12:59 am IST
