10.5% quota for Vanniyar community wasn’t for political gains: PMK

CHENNAI: The 10.5 per cent internal quota for Vanniyar community does not introduce a new vertical scheme of reservation breaching the existing 69 per cent reservation, said PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss. The internal reservation is aimed at giving a level playing field for the backward caste communities among the Most Backward Classes (MBC).

In a counter-affidavit filed before the Madras High Court in connection with the petition against the quota, he said: “The Act only creates a sub-category or an internal scheme of arrangement within the 20 per cent reservation for MBC.” Section 7 of the Act 45 of 1994 provides for classification or subclassification within Backward Class, including Most Backward Classes, he added.

Ramadoss said the internal reservation is to ensure that the more backward amongst the MBC are provided a level playing field and are able to rise from the depth of backwardness. Recalling the long history of provision of reservation in the State, Ramadoss said the Act clearly bring to the fore the clarity of mind and the will of the State legislature to reduce the ‘extrinsically created human inequalities’ and envision a ‘path of equal citizenship’ amongst the people through the method of affirmative action.

The allegation that the reservation was brought in by the previous government for political gains before the Assembly polls was nothing but baseless, the counter-affidavit said. Denying the contention that the law had been enacted in haste without waiting for the report of Justice A Kulasekaran committee, Ramadoss pointed out that it was constituted only to examine whether the overall reservation of 69 per cent required any modification and not to examine the issue of internal reservations for Vanniyars.