The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M K Stalin, has expressed his opposition to the 50% reservation limit in employment and education. During his speech at the conference of the Federation of India for Social Justice, Stalin argued that each state should have the power to decide the percentage of reservation based on the deserving sections’ population. He referred to Tamil Nadu’s 69% reservation as an example of why a limit should not be imposed.

Stalin also criticized the government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for not adequately implementing the reservation policy. He emphasized that granting reservations should be a right of the states and that the power to allocate them based on population proportion should lie with the state governments. Stalin also questioned the BJP’s commitment to social justice, stating that if they were truly interested, they would have implemented the 27% reservation policy during their nine years in power.

Stalin criticized the head of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Mohan Bhagwat, for expressing his support for reservation, accusing him of trying to mislead marginalized sections before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He highlighted the late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi’s contribution in pressuring the VP Singh government to implement the Mandal Commission recommendations in 1990. Stalin attributed the progress made in Tamil Nadu and other states to the Dravidian movement, founded to ensure social justice and an egalitarian society.

In conclusion, Stalin urged the central government to implement two demands made by M Karunanidhi in 1973 regarding quotas for scheduled castes in central government jobs and a specific percentage of reservation for scheduled castes and backward sections in government positions. He emphasized the importance of social justice and stated that several states, including Tamil Nadu, are providing it through caste-based reservation systems.

Sources:
– PTI/FILE