Chennai: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has called for a meeting with PMK youth wing secretary and MP Anbumani Ramadoss to discuss the 20 per cent reservation demand for Vanniyars.
The meeting at the Secretariat here this afternoon took place after cadres of Pattali Makkal Katchi staged protests in several parts of the State demanding 20 per cent reservation.
Anbumani Ramadoss was leading the protest near the Pallavan Illam in Chennai.
PMK party members from many districts tried to reach Chennai today.
However, they were stopped at Perungalathur and other border areas of the city and only important office-bearers were allowed to proceed.
Following this the remaining cadres carried out road roko on GST Road asking them to be allowed inside the city as well. Similarly trains were stopped in several places.
Violence was reported during the protests. Stones were pelted on public transports including trains and buses. Buses were rerouted in several parts of the city, following the protest.
A series of protests was announced by PMK founder S Ramadoss on 22 November demanding 20 per cent sub-quota for vanniyars in education and government jobs.
Ramadoss appealed to people of all communities in Tamilnadu to extend their support to his party’s renewed ‘Vanniyars are the majority community in Tamilnadu. World over, the majority community enjoys all benefits of power and positions.
In Tamilnadu, vanniyars remain the most backward till date, even though the PMK had taken up the cause since 1989 when vanniyars were part of the backward classes (BC), which had 50 per cent reservation. Despite being the majority, vanniyars got a mere 1 per cent benefit from the reservation for BCs,’ Ramadoss said.
Anbumani Ramadoss said the demand for separate reservations should not be seen merely as a caste issue.
“It is not a caste issue but a developmental issue. This issue has to be resolved if Tamilnadu has to grow. If we divide Tamilnadu into four parts — north, south, west and Chennai, we can see that north Tamilnadu has fallen behind in terms of education when compared to others. So, we see it as a developmental issue. If Vanniars grow, Tamilnadu will also grow,” said Anbumani.
Ramadoss stays at home
PMK president S Ramadoss today tweeted that though he was at his home in Thailapuram, his heart was thinking about the protests in Chennai.