AIADMK's efforts in SC's verdict on Arunthathiyar internal reservation quota will go down in history: EPS
In a statement on Saturday, he said that the AIADMK government has been instrumental in implementing the reservation policy by 100 per cent in the state and it has always strived for strong reservation laws to protect the minority.
Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami (PTI)
CHENNAI: Lauding the Supreme Court's recent verdict granting internal reservation for the Arunthathiyar community, former chief minister and leader of opposition Edappadi Palaniswami said that the efforts taken by the AIADMK to achieve this feat should be carved in stone for posterity.
In a statement on Saturday, he said that the AIADMK government has been instrumental in implementing the reservation policy by 100 per cent in the state and it has always strived for strong reservation laws to protect the minority. "Only during MGR's rule was the reservation for oppressed sections of the community from 31 per cent to 50 per cent. Similarly, in Jayalalithaa's regime between 1991 - 1996, she fought with the centre for the rights of the oppressed and helped increase the numbes to 69 per cent," he said.
Palaniswami said that following the recommendations of a committee headed by Adi Dravidar Welfare secretary, the then AIADMK government moved the Supreme Court and got an interim order to get internal reservation for Arunthathiyars in 2020.
In 2009, the Arunthathiyars Act passed by the government provided 3 per cent internal reservation to the Arunthathiyars within the existing 18 per cent quota for SCs. "However, the issue got embroiled in several litigations at the Madras High Court during the DMK rule in 2010," said Edappadi Palanisamy. He further pointed out that the outcome was in favour of the reservation in 2020, thanks to the efforts of the AIADMK.
Referring to the recent verdict by the seven-judge Bench, headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud that upheld the internal reservation granted to the Arunthathiyar community, as laid down in an Act passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Edappadi said that this judgement is similar to the verdict given by five- judge bench led by judge Arun Mishra that was passed in 2020. "The efforts spearheaded by the AIADMK in this issue will go down in history," he said, thanking the efforts of the legal team, the TN Arunthathiyar welfare association and its members.