CHENNAI: Transport Minister SS Sivasankar accused PMK leaders of misleading the Vanniyar community by aligning with the BJP, which has stalled the national population census, and urging the state government to conduct a caste-based census despite its lack of legal validity.
The minister’s remarks follows sharp criticism from the PMK, blaming the DMK for failing to ensure 10.5% reservation for the Vanniyars. The party had staged a demonstration in this regard in many places.
Responding to PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss’s criticism that DMK elevated Udhayanidhi Stalin as deputy CM by overstepping senior leaders, especially minister Duraimurugan who belongs to Vanniyar community, Sivasankar, in a statement, questioned how Anbumani was made PMK president when senior leaders like GK Mani and A K Moorthy were there. “Is there no one in the PMK who has worked as hard as Anbumani?” he asked.
Sivasankar said the existing 20% Most Backward Class (MBC) reservations have already benefited Vanniyar students and warned that a separate 10.5% quota might negatively impact their higher education opportunities.
Meanwhile, when media persons asked Duraimurugan on Wednesday about Anbumani’s remarks on the issue of deputy Chief Minister, he refused to comment, saying “Please leave me,” in a light-hearted manner.