The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Friday passed a bill providing internal reservation of 10.5 per cent for Vanniyars, a most backward community in government jobs and in admission to educational institutions. The sub-quota move follows agitations by the Pattali Makkal Katchi, an ally of the ruling AIADMK, demanding quota for Vanniyars and more than ten rounds of talks between the government and the party representatives since December last.
The bill, piloted by Chief Minister K Palaniswami, was passed, shortly before the Election Commission announced the schedule for the assembly elections in the state. It splits the aggregate 20 per cent reservation for the Most Backward Classes (MBCs) and Denotified Communities into three separate categories by regrouping castes and provides ten per cent plus sub-quota for Vanniyars, formally known as Vanniakula Kshatriyas.
Northern Tamil Nadu, including Vellore, Cuddalore, Kancheepuram, Chengelpet, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai and Villupuram is considered the heartland of the Vanniyars, a decisive force in several constituencies. PMK founder leader S Ramadoss expressed joy and thanked the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and Law Minister C Ve Shanmugam for the initiative.
In a statement, he said the passage of the bill is the ”first phase of victory,” in his 40-year struggle for complete social justice for the most backward community of Vanniyars. Palaniswami told the House that the internal reservation is temporary, for about six months, and with receipt of inputs from a panel set up to collect caste-wise quantifiable data, the current sub-quota system for MBCs and DCs would be re-arranged.
The government had last December announced a panel to collect data following agitations by PMK. Palaniswami, in the statement of object and reasons, outlined the recommendation to the government by the chairman of the TN Backward Classes Commission for internal reservation for three categories in the MBCs and DCs slab.
The TNBCC’s recommendation of a standalone 10.5 per cent reservation for Vanniyars, a seven per cent sub-quota for other re-grouped communities and another slab of 2.5 per cent for the rest was passed. The backward classes panel made the recommendation followed examination of the demand by various communities to provide sub-quota, the CM said.
The initiative would provide better access to various benefits and promote equitable development of the MBCs and DCs, he said in the statement of reasons adding the government accepted the recommendation. Last year, the PMK had demanded an exclusive reservation for Vanniyars (who are one among the several communities bunched together in the list of MBCs and DCs) to ensure ’comprehensive social justice’ for them.
Tamil Nadu follows 69 per cent reservation in government jobs and in admission to educational institutions including privately run. Backward Classes get 30 per cent, MBCs and DCs 20 per cent, Scheduled Castes 18 per cent and Scheduled Tribes one per cent.
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