CHENNAI: A delegation led by PMK president GK Mani and party’s youth wing president Anbumani Ramadoss on Monday called on Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and urged them to take immediate steps to conduct a caste-wise census in Tamil Nadu to safeguard the 69 per cent reservation in government jobs and educational institutions since the Supreme Court had announced that it would soon dispose of the pending petition.
“Caste-wise census was successfully conducted in Karnataka in just 45 days to ensure reservation in that State,” the memorandum submitted to the CM said, urging him to make similar efforts in Tamil Nadu to remove the “Sword of Damocles” hanging over the 69 per cent cent reservation for around a quarter century and carve a niche for the present government in the social justice history of the State.”
Later, talking to reporters, Anbumani said that to continue the 69 per cent reservation, the government should present valid data to the SC to prove that more than 69 per cent of the population in Tamil Nadu would require reservation. For that, caste-wise census should be conducted. The Ambasankar commission had already asserted that 87 per cent of the population in Tamil Nadu required reservation, but the SC had rejected the contention since it was not based on caste-wise census.
Anbumani said Palaniswami assured the PMK delegation that the government would do the needful to save the 69 per cent reservation.
Reservation quota in private sector
Meanwhile, the PMK has renewed its old demand that the Central government implement reservation for employment in the private sector too and a legislation be enacted to facilitate it.
In a statement here, PMK founder S Ramadoss, referring to the remark of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari that reservation would not guarantee employment in the public sector as jobs were shrinking, said “The Central government should come forward to implement reservation in private companies.”
Gadkari, responding to reporters’ questions on the ongoing agitation by Marathas for reservation, said on August 4 at Aurangabad: “Let’s us assume the reservation is given. But there are no jobs. Because in banks, the jobs have shrunk because of IT. The government recruitment is frozen.Where are the jobs?”
The PMK has been demanding quota in the private sector for the past 25 years and due to its persuasion, consultations were held by the Centre over it during the UPA regime, Ramadoss said. He also recalled that the UPA regime, which admitted that there was a need for quota in private sector, later said there was no scope to enact a law for it.
11 power co-generation plants inaugurated
Chennai: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday, through video-conferencing, inaugurated 11 power co-generation plants and an administrative building at the Krishnagiri power plant built at a total cost of Rs 85.62 crore, according to a statement issued by the Department of Information and Public Relations on Monday. The plants are situated in Erode, Kancheepuram, Thirumukoodal, Thanjavur, Tirupur, Ariyalur, Nagai, Ramanathapuram, Pudhukottai, Thiruvannamalai and Salem, added the statement