Tamil Nadu political parties condemn non-implementation of OBC reservation in medical seats

Political parties with an exception of the BJP condemned the non-implementation of OBC reservation in the All India Quota (AIQ) of medical seats this year. Supreme Court in October rejected the pleas to implement reservations this year put forward by various political parties and Tamil Nadu Government after the Centre informed the court that it would not be possible due to lack of time.

According to the All India Federation of Other Backward Classes Employees' Welfare Association (AIOBC), "the OBCs were deprived of 3758 medical seats due to the non-implementation of the 27% reservation this year. In Tamil Nadu, a total of 764 seats should have gone to the OBCs if the state had followed 50% quota as per TN Reservation Act."

Speaking with Madhyamam, G.Karunanidhi, General Secretary of AIOBC said, "Within Tamil Nadu, there is 69% reservation for medical seats. 30% of the seats are reserved for Backward classes and within that 3.5% for OBC Muslims. 20% is reserved for Most Backward Castes. Scheduled castes have 18% reservations and Scheduled Tribes, 1%; total 69%. Madras High Court said that there is no impediment for the government to implement reservation for OBCs. Every party in the state including AIADMK have filed a case in Court except BJP."

AIOBC notes that though a committee was formed in July by the Central government to look into OBC reservations as per the instruction of the Madras High Court, there has been no official response.

AIOBC claims that there is zero reservation for OBC candidates in AIQ medical seats contributed by the state. The judgement of Madras High Court in July states that state-specific reservation does not deny reservation to OBCs in All India Quota seats.

"My request for other states is they must join with Tamil Nadu Government in their fight against non-implementation of OBC seats. In the upcoming census, there should be the inclusion of OBC category. Unless and until we do a census, we won't know which are the castes within OBC category who are enjoying the benefits of reservation more when compared to other castes," Dr PM Yazhini,a medical practitioner at Chennai asks.

"When the central government can implement EWS, SC, ST reservation in the state surrendered seats, what's stopping them from implementing OBC reservation?." She asked further

Clarifying DMK's stand, Deepan Saran Raj, President of DMK student wing, Pondicherry University, said, "Even as the state government passed the legislation to give 7.5% reservation for government school students in medical admissions, the Governor appointed by the BJP took too much time to decide on that. Already NEET has destructed the medical aspirations of our children. The minorities are in an anxious state after the BJP government brought the CAA. The slave AIADMK government has been a spectator on these developments. However, our leader MK Stalin has been voicing for social justice, reservation and state rights. He went to the court for upholding justice."

"We are still unable to understand why other states are not raising this crucial issue with the Central Government. OBC reservations are not implemented in the 15% of MBBS and BDS seats and 50% of MDS and MD seats contributed by states to AIQ. Though National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) raised this issue with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Medical Council of India, this year also we missed OBC reservations in AIQ in recently held NEET examinations," says Gowd Kiran Kumar, President of All India OBC (AIOBC) Students Association. In June, it was revealed that the OBCs had been forced to miss out on over 10,000 medical seats in the last three years due to lack of implementation of reservation policy in Tamil Nadu alone.

Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi (VCK) has demanded that the central government introduce a new reservation policy. According to S S Balaji, VCK's Deputy General Secretary, "VCK has approached Supreme Court with a plea seeking a policy for reservation. Even in the 7.5% reservation for government students, this is horizontal reservation, not vertical reservation. We proposed that in horizontal reservation, government order is enough. We are demanding reservation in deemed Universities as well as private medical colleges."

Demand for conducting caste-wise census including OBCs is also emerging in the political spectrum. Parties said that this would guide the Government to take concrete decisions on matters of reservation policy and welfare measures for the disadvantaged sections of society and thereby achieve inclusive development for all sections of the country.