AIADMK, DMK lock horns over 10.5pc Vanniyar reservation issue

Chennai: The opposition AIADMK and ruling DMK have started blaming each other over the 10.5 per cent internal reservation to the powerful Vanniyar community within the Most Backward Classes reservation.

The reservation was passed by the previous AIADMK government under Edappadi K. Palaniswami just before the 2021 election notification came as the alliance partner PMK was relentlessly campaigning for a 10.5 per cent internal reservation for the Vanniyar community within the 20 per cent MBC reservation.

The DMK government that followed after the 2021 Assembly elections issued the orders for the internal reservation. However, the Madras High Court struck down the order and the Supreme Court of India upheld the judgment of the Madras High Court.

After the internal reservation was struck down by the Supreme Court of India, the PMK leader Dr. S. Ramadoss came out and stated that the government’s not providing proper data on the various communities was the reason for the courts striking down the internal reservation.

After the powerful Vanniyar community and its political arm came out against the government on not providing data on various communities in the state, the DMK and AIADMK entered into a war of words.

Former Chief Minister K. Palaniswami and then law minister and AIADMK leader, CVe Shanmughan said that it was the failure of the DMK government that led to the courts striking down the internal reservation.

Senior leader of the DMK and Minister for Water Resources in Tamil Nadu, S. Duraimurugan said that the Palaniswami’s government had brought in the legislation for the 10.5 per cent reservation to the Vanniyar community purely for electoral gains just before the 2021 Assembly elections. He said that it was unfortunate for the AIADMK leader Palaniswami to state that the Supreme Court upheld the Madras High Court order quashing the 10.5 per cent reservation to the Vanniyar community as the failure of the DMK government to provide details.

AIADMK leader and former Law Minister CVe Shanmugham, who had piloted the Bill for 10.5 per cent internal reservation for Vanniyars, also said that it was the failure of the DMK government to provide data to the courts to substantiate the reservation that led to the quashing of the reservation.

Meanwhile, PMK leader, Dr. S. Ramadoss called upon Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to immediately intervene in the matter and to provide the relevant data on reservations for other communities in the Most Backward Classes.

S. Duraimurugan while speaking to IANS said, “The AIADMK is frustrated after its ally PMK and its leader, Dr. S. Ramadoss approached the Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to support the reservation. The AIADMK is unable to digest this and is now blaming the DMK government and our Chief Minister.”

He said that the state government would take an appropriate decision acceptable to the Vanniyar community by consulting legal experts regarding the same.

The DMK and AIADMK are locking horns over the internal reservation of Vanniyars blaming each other due to the fact that the community is powerful in North Tamil Nadu and antagonizing it would not be helpful in the long run for the Dravidian majors in Tamil politics.