Amend Constitution for SC,ST, OBC, women quota, monitor at national level: MK Stalin tells Centre

Stalin said that there should be a proper quota for the BCs and the MBCs that should be monitored at the national level.

Addressing the second National Conference on India for Social Justice virtually last night from here (the event was held at Delhi), he reiterated that social justice was not confined to a particular State, but was a pan-Indian issue when the BJP was in power and said the mandal commission's recommendations should be implemented.

"The yardstick for enumerating caste and communities may differ from State to State. Tamil Nadu follows 69% reservation. Even though the percentage varies in other States, the problem facing reservation is the same everywhere, and it is neglect," he noted.

Stating that social justice was an antidote to the neglect of reservation, he said wherever untouchability, slavery and injustice prevailed, the reservation for the SCs/STs should be implemented in a proper manner.

There should also be a proper reservation for the BCs and the MBCs, he reiterated.

"The implementation of reservation should be monitored at the national level,” he said.

Strongly urging the Centre to amend the Constitution to ensure that SC, ST, OBC, women and minority candidates were appointed as Judges of the High Courts and the Supreme Court, Stalin said “candidates of OBCs should be given reservation in promotion and seniority in jobs”.

Demanding the release of the caste-based census done in 2015 and reservation in the private sector, he said the right to fix and implement reservation should be vested with the State governments.

“We follow 69% reservation in Tamil Nadu. In other States, the quota should be followed depending on local requirements,” he stressed.

He also alleged that the BJP was creating obstacles and was against social justice as it did not like the progress of the poor, the SCs/STs and the OBCs.

“While we are fighting for social justice, there are obstacles, and the BJP is creating them in a big way.”

“The BJP never implemented social justice properly. It failed to implement 27% reservation (for the OBCs) in the past nine years,” he said.

Recalling RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s assertion that there will be communal reservation till there is (caste) discrimination, Stalin wondered where the RSS was when the BJP toppled the government led by V.P. Singh over the issue of implementing the Mandal Commission recommendations.

“It was the RSS that pulled the strings behind the screen and allowed the BJP to topple the V.P. Singh government," he charged, taking a dig at both the RSS and the BJP.

On Mohan Bhagwat's recent remarks in favour of reservation, the Chief Minister said it was only to hoodwink the people and made an eye on the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, which is due in 7-8months.

Bhagwat was not truly committed to reservation,” Stalin alleged.

"If the BJP is really interested in social justice, it should have implemented the 27% quota and filled vacancies in Central government departments as per the quota. “Is the BJP ready to do it,” he sought to know.