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 Chennai: Fulfilling a long-standing demand of the minority communities in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi announced on 13 September 2007 that the Muslims and Christians belonging to backward communities would get 3.5 per cent reservation each in educational institutions and government employment.
An ordinance to give effect to the reservation proposal would be promulgated on 15 September 2007, the 99th birthday of former Chief Minister CN Annadurai. Although the State Government described the allocation as ‘separate’ reservation, in reality, the Muslims and Christians would be given the reservation as a ‘sub-quota’ within the 30 per cent already reserved for the Backward Classes. Obviously, the Government opted for this decision keeping in mind the fact that provision of separate reservation would be struck down by the court.
“Muslims and Christians are already in the Backward Classes list and so far they are competing with the other communities for reservation in educational institutions and employment opportunities. Now, both communities have specific reservation”, a senior official clarified.
The Government's decision followed the recommendation of the Commission headed by Justice MS Janarthanam which went into the possibilities of providing separate reservation for Muslims and Christians. The Commission studied the report of the Second Backward Classes Commission headed by JA Ambasankar which had detailed information about the population of the backward class Hindu communities as well as that of Muslims and Christians, an official release here said. Reservations to the minorities had been one of the election planks of the Dravida Munnetra Kazakam, and of late it had come under fire from several Muslim organisation for not announcing the quota even though the Karunanidhi Government had been in power for more than a year. But Karunanidhi had been countering these criticisms saying he was treading cautiously on this issue only because he did not want any reservation announced by the Government to be struck down by the judiciary, as had happened in Andhra Pradesh. (Source: The New Indian Express, 14 September 2007) |
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