SS Shivshankar, Transport Minister Photo credit: KV Srinivasan
Tamil Nadu Transport Minister SS Shivshankar on Wednesday (Dec 25, 2024) questioned whether Pattali Makkal Kachi (PMK) president Anbumani Ramadoss had the courage to ask his alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to run under the leadership of the central government. Ethnic Census.
He was reacting to Mr. Anbumani’s comments that the DMK government in Tamil Nadu had failed to conduct a caste census and was not taking steps to ensure internal reservation for the Vanniyar community.
In a statement, Mr. Shivshankar alleged that PMK founder S. Ramdas and his son Anbumani were using the Vanniyar community as a pawn to bargain for more seats during the elections.
He said that they are trying to strengthen their political bargaining by using the most backward communities, but in the past elections, people have shown that they cannot deceive them.
Opposing Anbumani’s statement of unconditional support to the DMK in the 2026 assembly elections if 15% internal reservation is granted to the Vaniyars, the minister questioned whether the leader would walk out of the BJP-led alliance, “causing hindrance” to reservation.
Mr. Shivshankar alleged that the BJP government is trying to destroy the reservation system and Mr. Ramdas and his son Mr. Anbumani have joined hands with them to cheat the people.
“I would like to remind Mr. Anbumani that the number of students from the Vanniyar community enrolling in higher education, including medical courses, has increased by more than 10.5% in the last 10 years due to the existing reservation for the most backward communities. And the 10.5% internal reservation for the Vanniyars only affects them,” said Mr. Shivshankar.
The DMK government will not make hasty decisions; It takes decisions in such a way that no one is affected or rejected,’ he added.
published – December 25, 2024 at 02:38 pm IST