CHENNAI: Upping the ante on the demand for an exclusive 20 per cent quota for Vanniyars in Tamil Nadu, PMK founder president Dr S Ramadoss on Wednesday said that Vanniyars “might be forced to repeat the massive agitation of 1987” to get reservation.
Organised by Vanniyar Sangam, protest demonstrations were held across the State demanding reservation for Vanniyars. Leading the protest in Chennai, Ramadoss said Vanniyars did not get even six per cent share in education and job opportunities though it constituted 20 per cent of the population.
“A community in Tamil Nadu, the population of which is just three per cent, has occupied about 25 per cent of opportunities in education and employment,” he said. The PMK was striving to get exclusive reservation for Vanniyars, following the path of Periyar who stood for social justice, he added.
Stating that Tamil Nadu’s growth would be seriously affected if two crore Vanniyars of the total six crore population of the State remained backward, Ramadoss said the first Backward Classes Commission headed by A N Sattanathan recommended 17 per cent quota for backward communities and 14 per cent reservation for Most Backward Classes (MBCs).
“The Tamil Nadu government did not come forward to implement this,” the PMK leader said.
Tracing the events that led to the granting of reservation in 1989, Ramadoss described the massive protest demonstration of 1987 as a milestone.
Claiming that Karunanidhi declined to give exclusive quota for Vanniyars in 1989, Ramadoss said the DMK regime gave separate reservation for Arunthathiyars and Muslims. “Hence, nothing should be an obstacle for exclusive quota for Vanniyars.” “If steps are not taken to give quota, Vanniyars will indulge in more serious agitations than what was witnessed in 1987. However, we believe that the Chief Minister would not push us to do that as he is aware of our determination to fight,” he said.