TN beats poll call, grants 10.5% quota for Vanniars

February 26, 2021 21:34

CM Edappadi K Palaniswami

The Tamil Nadu assembly on Friday passed a bill providing internal reservation of 10.5 per cent for Vanniars, 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 Vanniars and more than 10 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 10 per cent plus sub-quota for Vanniyars, formally known as Vanniakula Kshatriyas.

Northern Tamil Nadu, including Vellore, Cuddalore, Kanchipuram, Chengelpet, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai and Villupuram is considered the heartland of the Vanniars, 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 Vanniars.

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