Chennai : The opposition AIADMK which had taken an initiative for a 10.5 per cent internal reservation under the Most Backward Classes (MBCs) for the Vanniyar community is now in a spot after the Madras High Court struck down the reservation.
Former Chief Minister K. Palaniswami was the main architect for reservation which has been a long-pending demand in Tamil Nadu.
The AIADMK ally and the powerful political arm of the Vanniyar community, the PMK, and its founder leader S. Ramadoss were at the forefront of a series of agitations demanding the reservation in educational institutions as well as in jobs.
While the former AIADMK government had brought in the legislation and notified it just before the Model Code of Conduct of the Election Commission for the 2021 Assembly polls were announced, it was considered as a “shrewd” political move by Palaniswami to garner votes in the strongholds of the Vanniyar community in northern Tamil Nadu including Arokonam, and even in Salem where the party has a say.
However, with the Urban Local Body polls coming up by December, the Madras High Court verdict would be a major point of discussion and the AIADMK will have to provide a lot of answers on the manner in which the reservation was implemented.
AIADMK leaders are tight-lipped over the matter and a senior party functionary : “The then Tamil Nadu government had passed the legislation and notified it as it was a genuine right of the Vanniyar community. They did it to ensure social justice but somehow more homework was required before passing such a legislation.”
The present DMK administration led by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had also issued a Government Order (GO) for the reservation and has announced that it would move the Supreme Court challenging the Madras High Court verdict.
It will also argue for referring the case to a Constitution bench. The DMK is expecting that the constitution bench orders for a status quo and if this happens it would be construed as a big victory for the party.
The AIADMK being out of power will not be able to take the benefit of such an order from Supreme Court. On the other hand, the state government would hail such a verdict from the apex court as a major win for its legal fight.
Meanwhile, Ramadoss has said that the party would fight for the cause and has written an open letter to the Vanniyar community and the PMK cadre that it would request to implead in the case at Supreme Court.
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