இடஒதுக்கீடு போராட்டம்

ஐஐடி, ஐஐஎம் ஆகிய கல்வி நிலையங்களில் பிற்பட்டோர் அனைவருக்கும் இடஒதுக்கீடு கோரி பாமக சார்பில் இன்று சென்னையில் போராட்டம் நடைபெற்றது. அனைத்து பிற்பட்ட மற்றும் ஒடுக்கப்பட்ட சமுதாயம் சார்பில் நடைபெற்ற இந்த போராட்டத்தில் மருத்துவர் ஐயா, திராவிடர் கழக தலைவர் ஆசிரியர் வீரமணி ஆகியோர் பங்கேற்றனர். அடுத்த கட்ட போராட்டம் புதுதில்லியில் நடைபெறும் என ஆசிரியர் வீரமணி தெரிவித்தார்



STRIDENT PROTEST: PMK founder S. Ramadoss and Dravidar Kazhagam president K.Veeramani staging a demonstration near the State Guest House in Chennai on Wednesday. — Photo: V. Ganesan

CHENNAI: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M. Karunanidhi should intervene on the issue of opposition to the implementation of reservation for other backward classes in Central institutions, Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institutes of Management and take a "favourable decision," the Pattali Makkal Katchi founder S. Ramadoss said on Wednesday.

Participating in a demonstration organised by students' wing of the PMK to press the Central Government on the implementation of the quota system, Dr. Ramadoss said that as all 40 Members of Parliament from the State [and Pondicherry] were part of the United Progressive Alliance, the issue should be resolved in favour of the OBCs.

He wondered why there should be no reservation in the institutions of higher education when a constitutional amendment had been made to provide reservation even in self-financing colleges. This point had been raised in Parliament by the PMK MP M. Ramadass.

Dr. Ramadoss criticised the argument made in certain quarters that merit would suffer if the quota system were to be implemented. Candidates belonging to OBCs finished toppers in many competitive examinations. Certain "forces" inimical to the reservation system would not change their position and their designs would be defeated, the PMK leader said.

Stir in New Delhi



Participating in the rally, K. Veeramani, Dravida Kazhagam leader, said his party and the PMK would stage a demonstration in New Delhi soon on the issue.

The present move to provide reservation for OBCs was only a follow-up to what was initiated by V.P. Singh as Prime Minister in 1990. At that time, in spite of a strong opposition, the quota system came into force. Since then, the concept of reservation has gained greater acceptance. So, anti-reservation agitations would not succeed, he said.

Slogans were raised by the participants to press the point that quotas were neither concessions nor gifts; rather a matter of birthright of the OBCs. G.K. Mani, president of the PMK, and Dalit Poongundran, general secretary of the DK, were among those who addressed the participants.